Masters of the Pages
by GreenWallsOfArt
Summary: When Mr. Dewey dies, 16-year-old Richard Tyler, and Mr. Dewey's bookworm granddaughter, Chloe, must venture back into the world of books to end a war raging between the villains and the heroes of fiction. First part of a trilogy.
1. After Six Years

_**Chapter 1**_

_ Clonk! Bang! Scratch!_

A baseball went sailing over the field, the bat hitting the moist, green grass, and the batter went running like the wind towards first base. Bits of grass flew up into the air as the batter hit first base with his foot.

The batting team cheered wildly as the referee called a save. It was amazing to see such speed and agility at the JV level of softball.

Richard Tyler could see the whole scene from his spot at third base- one of the most important spots in the game, or, at least that was what Coach had said. The bases were nearly loaded and there was one player left to go before a possible point could be made. If his team stopped this next player before the end of the ninth inning, they would be ahead by one point, and they would have a chance to win. Richard kept clenching his eyes, keeping them deeply on the other players. I got this, I got this, he thought intently.

The shiny, metal bat glinted off the bright, spring sun as the next player came up to the base. The pitcher tossed the ball, and it suddenly went flying as the batter took off.

Instinctively, Richard opened his glove, keeping his eyes on the ball. This was it, the time when he would catch the ball and get the player out. The team was waiting, and there was only one out left until the end of the last inning! I got this, I got this, he continued to think deeply.

Just like he hoped, the ball flew towards his open hand. Narrowing his eyes, Richard lunged for the ball, his foot planted on the base. With one swift movement, he caught the ball, and threw himself upright on the base.

"Out!" the referee called, his whistle still ringing.

The team cheered wildly seconds before the referee called the end of the inning. The game was over!

Like always, the two teams lined up, and they shook hands with each other. Some of the opposing players seemed reluctant, but Richard's team skipped through the high-fiving with such excitement that they were off the field before the other team could lift another foot.

The coach gathered them in a circle.

"Good playing, boys!" he said. "A little rusty on the catching for the first few innings, but still, excellent batting. Keep this up, and we'll be up there for sure at state. Great catch on the last round, Rich!"

"Yeah, way to go, Rich!" another player said. The other players followed suit by high-fiving him and slapping him on the back in congratulations.

"Stop it, guys," Richard said modestly. "I'm not that good."

"You stop it," the coach retorted. "What do I always say- the more you diss yourself, the more you risk? Now hit the showers, all of you. Great work!"

With that last command, the team was dismissed, and they grabbed their equipment from the grass. They all dashed towards the parking lot, where their rides were waiting. Some, like Richard, already had their cars, so they could go home right away.

"I still can't believe that!" one player said to Richard as they walked to the lot. "Five years of softball, and you're as good as the rest of the professionals. I repeat- I don't believe it! I've been playing all my life, and I've never gotten that good that fast."

"Maybe once you put your body and heart into it, Travis, you'll do that," Richard offered.

"I'm not taking that from someone who wouldn't go near a softball game if he tried six years ago!" Travis retorted. "You brought in all that stupid stuff and told us all that stupid crap about broken bones and brain tumors and all that."

"Hey, that was _six years ago_!" Richard said, slapping his hand to his forehead. "I've gotten over that."

"Dude, you sound like you've just broken up with a pretty girl," Travis said. "And I don't buy it. I'm not thinking for one minute that you're gonna forget those days. Seriously, we thought you were an alien from another planet with all that crap you told us."

"Cut that out, would ya!" Richard said, swinging his bat exasperatedly. "It was not crap. It was useless over-the-top information that I just thought would be helpful. Please, just gimme a break. I was only a silly ten-year-old."

Travis snorted. "Silly ten-year-old, right. Well, just glad you came to your senses in time for high school. You would have been committed social suicide with that."

Richard turned his head away, and looked straight ahead, deep in thought. He remembered just as well as those who had been on the town Little League team when he was ten years old. In an attempt to make him do something risky and fun, his dad had signed him up for the team. And anytime he found it convenient, he would inform the team about some crazy statistics about baseball, and the dangers that come from being hit with a ball or swinging a bat too hard. The extremes had gone too far when he brought in medical evidence, and the team was so shocked by what they saw that they no longer wanted to play. The consequences- getting kicked off the team and another failed attempt at making Richard take a risk and have some relaxed fun once in a while.

Richard also remembered how crazy he was about being safe. He had kits upon kits for earthquake preparations, life preservers on his shelves, and signs marking dangerous risks around his room. He even drove his parents crazy with statistics on a daily basis! And as a result, he had no friends, and no one to play with because of his crazy safety statistics and precautions he would always talk about. If you heard him, you would think that he was some kind of know-it-all who only wanted to live forever and never get a scratch. That just wasn't humanly likely to be normal- and the kids knew that for sure!

And finally, one day, Richard vaguely remembered stumbling into an old library when there was a storm. And then, he had fallen asleep somewhere, and had come out with the dangerous urge to ride onto a cinder block ramp with the daredevils called his classmates in those days. And since then, Richard had been playing Little League, into his current sophomore year, making friends, and finally becoming what his classmates and parents called "normal". And Richard enjoyed it.

"And look at what happened to you!" Travis said, snapping Richard from his thoughts. "It's like you switched personalities with a normal kid and locked him away to rot in a closet."

Richard chuckled at the thought.

At last, Richard came to his car, and waved goodbye to his remaining teammates. With a slam of the door and a turn, he started the car, and drove back home. It was a short drive, and he enjoyed the freedom it gave him. Besides, the scenery was splendid this time of year, and not to mention that the team had scored another victory! All thanks to the one and only him. Not that Richard was a conceited jock- he just enjoyed helping his team whenever he could. His crazy ideas and safety issues were gone, but his helpfulness was always there.

The car pulled into the driveway, and Richard jumped out, his bag slung over his shoulder. As he dashed inside, he caught a glimpse of the old tree house in the backyard. The wood was lighter with the years of sun bleach, and the wood chipped in some spots. It was old indeed, but it had lived a good life so far. That tree house had been another way to help Richard take a risk or have some fun once in a while, but, like all other ideas, it hadn't worked. In those days, there had always been something about heights that Richard didn't like, because it always presented another danger, but since the day he stumbled into the library, that tree house had held many friendly memories. Now, it was just something that took up space in the backyard.

Richard walked inside the house, and found his parents working in the kitchen.

"Hey, buddy!" his dad greeted. "How was the game?"

"Won again!" Richard exclaimed, dropping his bag in the mud room by the garage door.

"Well great, honey!" his mom exclaimed, giving her son a hug. "That team has certainly benefitted from you."

"Well, I guess since I finally woke up and decided to do something fun."

"We're proud of you, Rich," Richard's dad said. "In six years, you've done so much- straight A's, baseball, friends. It just seems too good to be true."

"I think you can forget that now," Richard murmured, hoping not to start another conversation about his childhood.

Richard's mom started towards the fridge. "Anything special we can make you?" she asked. "Anywhere you want to go? It's your special night!"

That was a tough question. Where to go on a special night, and it was all up to him? Richard could only think of one place.

"How about here?" he suggested.

"What's the matter with going out?" his dad asked. "Too many carbs will make you sick? Sixty percent of all fast food places will make you sick in a week?"

"Stop it, dad," Richard said, running a hand through his tousled blonde hair. His dad sighed frustrated. He always made an effort to make his son laugh- but obviously, going back to the paranoia days was never an option.

Richard took off his cap and got himself a drink. Right now, life couldn't be more perfect. He was normal, with friends, brains, and a good baseball team who always had his back no matter what.

I could get used to this, he thought. Being sixteen has its advantages. Wonder if they could get any bigger…


	2. The Girl

_**Chapter 2**_

On the other hand…

At school the following week, Richard sat in English class. It was early morning, and the class was yawning with boredom; not to mention that it was pouring rain outside, and if that continued, that meant no baseball. And if that wasn't bad enough, the teacher stepped up to the desk with a handful of papers clutched to her side.

"Now, listen up everyone," the teacher called. "I need for all of you to write a paper. To finish off our expository unit, we're going to write about someone that you think has influenced your life in a way."

The class groaned as the teacher drawled on about the make-up of the paper, Richard as well. He didn't like writing things like that- they were boring, and they took forever to write. Besides they had already written more papers than one could carry in both arms. And like a lot of the other students, Richard made a guess that their teacher had more than two arms. Although, it wasn't like she wasn't a freak already.

"But we've already done a ton of papers this year!" a classmate complained. "Can't we just start a novel or something?"

"A research paper- two weeks from Friday," the teacher said, completely ignoring the student that had spoken up. "Six pages and up about why you chose that person- and then, please write a paragraph relating them to someone from _Julius Caesar. _And I don't want any complaints from any of you or it's detention for two weeks!"

Richard sighed further. This was not the type of paper he could start on day two. This would be something that he would have to tie in with his lunch hour and baseball schedule- and like always, with the expectations of the team and coach, and the constant desire for good grades- it could get crazy!

Later, at lunch, Richard sat with some of his team friends, along with some of theirs. They were discussing the atrocious assignment they had been given, Travis rattling off a chain of complaints one after the other in a snarly, snappy tone.

"Six pages of crap about our hero? And then relating them to something from _**Julius Caesar**_?" Travis complained. "Of all the stupid ideas in the world, she had to pick that piece of B.S.! I swear, that woman is a paper-giving piss-off!"

Richard cringed. "It'll be hard to tie that in with softball," he said. "I'm gonna start it today."

"Are you kidding me?" Travis said. "I don't even think I have a hero. If I did, he would have to be super cool, and big and popular."

"You're talking gibberish," Richard snorted. "Your hero is supposed to be someone you look up to. Not some meathead who could possibly be the biggest muscle-boy in the world."

"Whatever."

"You know what, forget we ever talked about this," Richard ordered as he stuffed his trash into a brown bag. "I'm going up to the library. Good luck thinking of your hero."

"Yeah, dude. See ya at practice!"

The library was quiet when Richard walked in through the door. He guessed most people preferred the loudness of the cafeteria to the calm quiet of the library. In some ways, it felt good to be out of the noise and to focus on this monster paper, although it wasn't due for two weeks and four days. That's how good of a student Richard was; he would never accept anything less than his best, which was typically an A or better.

Sitting down, he logged onto a computer, and began his research. The keyboard clicked gently in the quiet of the room, as Richard concentrated. He would need it greatly- this paper was part of what his final grade would be. And with Richard, there were no bad grades on the report card, not even a B! Well, a B was all right and acceptable, but he preferred to show his very best in everything!

Aside from the clicking keyboard and the librarian shuffling papers and books behind him, the library was quiet as a church. After a while, some kids came in, but they remained as quiet as the library itself.

Someone speed-walked past Richard's desk, pushing a tiny gust of air through his blonde hair. He looked up while sweeping some loose strands from his face, and spotted the back of a girl's head going down the aisle. He could tell because the hair was extending down to slightly below her waist, loose and pretty. It was a bold strawberry-blonde, a bright shade of red, and stopped just above the hemline of a deep brown ankle-length skirt and tan leather flats.

Then the girl turned to face the shelf on her side, and Richard could finally see the girl's face. She was rather pretty, and with her ocean-wavy hair pulled back from her face with a thick black headband, Richard could see clear, porcelain skin, a small, slightly-pointed nose, and thin arched eyebrows that bounced up to down as she seemed to search for a specific book. Her eyes were round and feminine, sparkling green as she stepped out of the bookshelf's shadow to look on the other side, her yellow cotton tunic swishing gracefully like it was half of an elegant ball gown as she turned around, and a couple of different beaded necklaces piled over her neck sparkled.

Richard had to remember to blink. He was fascinated by this girl- he had never seen hair so long, so silky, and so fine. It was like Rapunzel's hair chopped short a million yards. And, goodness, those eyes. Were they really that big and green? Did they really sparkle like they were made of starlight mixed with glimmering emeralds?

The girl took her hand away from the shelf and turned around. Her eyes met Richard for a minute, and he turned away to look back at the computer screen. That girl was so…mysterious. She looked like a girl from a fantasy land who could tame dragons, and maybe even be a younger version of Rapunzel herself. The way she dressed, she looked like a cross between a modern-day teenage girl, and a fifteenth-century peasant, who had the potential of becoming a lady in time.

Cautiously turning his eyes, Richard tried to look at the girl again. Hopefully he'd be able to see those eyes again. It was like he had been put into a trance- he didn't know why. They were so hypnotic and dreamy. Except this time, she wasn't standing by the shelf again. No Rapunzel hair, no green eyes, no gracefully-sweeping yellow tunic, no nothing.

_Forget her_, Richard told himself. _You'll probably never see her again. The chances of me seeing her are three-thousand-and-twenty-five to one- a totally ridiculous probability of her ever popping up again._

Turning back to the screen, Richard tried to focus on the task at hand. He found it impossible to do- every corner of his mind was occupied by that girl, every inch covered with locks upon locks of her fire hair, and the hard glimmer of the green eyes.

Frustrated, Richard put his hands on his head and pushed his nails into his scalp. There were so many more important things to do besides that girl- he didn't even know who she was! For all he knew, she was an exchange student from Germany. The German girls were pretty enough, he had to admit.

Shaking his head, Richard narrowed his eyes on the computer screen and tried to think of other things. Still, the task was too difficult- the girl had taken over his mind, shoving all other things out.

And all too suddenly, the bell rang- a loud but low-toned beeping sound that reverberated through the walls of the library. The girl disappeared from his mind as Richard gathered his books and dashed out before barely making it into the traffic of students.


	3. Chloe and the Sanctuary

_**Chapter 3**_

An entire day- an entire, twenty-four hour, single, solitary day. One whole day had passed, and those folds of strawberry-blonde hair never frizzed up and melted away. Richard was annoyed now- all afternoon, the girl stayed with him during baseball, and through the night, leaving him nearly sleepless. And all through that time, the girl never disappeared.

The whole thing was getting out of hand, and Richard felt angry for not stopping it when he could. There was so much else he could be doing to distract himself, and what did he do? Sit around blankly like an idiot and think about that girl like he was meeting her at the nearest time for a play date! Besides, another day was up, and that meant less time to get that grade-deciding paper in as soon as he could.

"Sit down now," Richard's English teacher said that morning. "Now, listen up. I've got another thing to add to that paper. I'd prefer for you to get sources from books as well, not just the Internet."

However, before a student could complain, the teacher put up her hand dismissively. "It's a requirement for all papers," she continued. "It's about time we began to go by those rules."

Richard sighed. He could see a trip to the library in the makes.

Later that afternoon, he walked up the quiet stairs, and like always, the library was nearly empty. Quietly, Richard headed for the biographies near the back of the library, where he was sure he could get some information in no time. This paper had to get done soon- who knew what other big assignments they could dump on him next?

The shelves were lined with lots of books, on lots of people Richard recognized- Shakespeare, Princess Diana, even Oprah. Now if only he could skip those titles so he could find what he was looking for…

Nothing on the shelf. Quickly, Richard turned around to look the other way, but his heart jolted when he bumped into someone behind him. Their faces hit and knocked one another on the ground!

"Ow! Oh my God, I'm sorry, I…" Richard began to say, but he gasped when he noticed who he had bumped into. He was turned face-to-face with a head of bold strawberry-blonde hair!

The girl pushed the hair back from her face, revealing the same round, green eyes and thin, arched eyebrows. Her eyes were full of shock, and her mouth was open a bit, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth.

"I'm so sorry, I apologize!" the girl gasped, grabbing Richard's arm to help him up. "I didn't see you there. Are you all right?"

"Fine," Richard replied, brushing himself off casually. Quickly, he bent down to gather his books, scattered all over the floor. With a timid smile, he began to walk away.

"Um, you dropped this too," the girl added, picking up a small, brown case.

Richard took the case from her, taking a small jump to pull his books up to his chest. "Thanks. Um, my, ahem…glasses." He eyed the small leather case on top of its book pile

"Yes, I see," the girl noted, taping her chin with her pointer finger. "Now then, you looking for something?" the girl asked. "Maybe I could help."

"I'm okay, thanks again," Richard said, hoping to get away before this girl could distract him any further.

"No, really I insist," the girl said. "I've read pretty much every book in this library, and I've got nothing else to do." She put on a smile that nearly made Richard's heart melt; as if he didn't feel embarrassed enough as it was. "Could I, please?" Now she sounded like a small girl begging for a cookie before dinner, and it was a sound Richard just couldn't resist.

Richard opened his mouth to reply no again, but choked on the word. This girl was too good. "Sure," he replied.

"So, tell me, which book?" the girl asked, scanning the shelves already.

"I'm looking for Sammy Sosa or, Robert Louis Stevenson," Richard said.

"Ah, _Treasure Island_, _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_," the girl said. "You like the classics?"

"Sure," Richard replied. "Read them both a long time ago."

The girl still scanned the shelves, looking for the right book. Suddenly, her eyes stopped when she slipped her finger into the shelf. She pulled out a large, black book with Robert Louis Stevenson's name in old Algerian print on the cover. "Voila!" she announced, handing it to him.

"Thanks," Richard said, adding the book to his huge pile. But then he gasped, about to ask if the girl could find a book on Sammy Sosa. He had only noted Stevenson as a backup in case. But as he was about to get the words out, the girl held up her hand modestly.

"You're welcome," the girl said, rolling her green tunic sleeves up. "Oh, how silly of me!" she suddenly exclaimed. "We haven't been properly acquainted. My name is Chloe Dewey."

"Richard Tyler," Richard replied. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Chloe replied, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"You have…nice hair," Richard said, hoping he didn't sound too silly.

"Oh, thanks," Chloe replied. "It's not half bad, and if you had to ask me, and I don't by any means mean to brag- it makes me look like a princess."

"Has anyone mistaken you for one yet?" Richard asked, chuckling nervously. His lack of experience with girls was not at all helping here, so he cursed himself for not doing so up until this moment.

"Not even close," Chloe answered. "Still, lots of people like it. It makes me feel extremely beautiful." Chloe did a little twirl in the aisle, causing her green tunic to twirl slightly, and her hair to expand around her head like a fan. The denim skirt she wore flared out and then gathered in a thick pleat around her legs when she stopped twirling. To Richard's surprise, no one turned to look at the girl who twirled like a little child.

Richard opened his mouth to say that she really was a pretty girl, but he stopped. He'd definitely be coming on too strong.

"So, anyone ever mistaken you for a giant?" Chloe teased. "You are rather tall."

"And you're rather short?" Richard guessed.

"Yes, clever," Chloe said, shaking her head and giving Richard a crooked frown. "Clever indeed."

At that moment, something stirred inside of Richard. An alarm rang off- what was it that Chloe said her last name was? It seemed to ring a bell somewhere in the deep corners of his mind.

"Wait a minute- what did you say your last name was?"

"Dewey? Why do you ask?"

"Oh, yeah! I remember now! Do you know a Mr. Dewey at the library downtown?"

"Why, yes, yes I do. I'm his granddaughter."

"I knew it."

"Suppose that explains why I come here every day and read, huh?"

"You come here every day?"

"Well, sure I do. Books are what I live for. I've basically been reading since I could pick things up in my hands. I'd expect you to understand that considering you have at least read some of the classics."

"I guess so."

"Suppose I could interest you in checking another one out?"

"Sure, I guess." Again, Richard rushed to correct himself. Why was he asking for assistance from some strange book worshipping girl when he should be working some more? And he certainly had no business in trying to become acquainted with her; he barely knew her for three minutes. Well, maybe for three days soon enough, but what did it really matter?

"Follow me." With that, Chloe led Richard to the other side of the library, where only a single bookcase of books had some fictional works. "Welcome to my sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" Richard wondered.

"Haven't you read _Notre Dame de Paris_? Where the churches offered safety, or sanctuary, from the outside world?"

Richard nodded in comprehension. "I'll have to get used to your book references," he said.

"You'd better believe it. I've read just about every classic there is to read." Chloe said this with a deep pride, like reading since birth had gotten her the Nobel Prize.

"Do you brag this often?"

"Well, considering I don't have many friends, I've never 'bragged' to anyone in my life. You're my only outlet thus far. Everyone around here thinks that bookworms are geeks anyways. Particularly the breed known as 'jocks'." She said the last sentence to herself.

Richard shook his head. "I don't think you're a geek. Believe me, I was the biggest geek you would have ever known."

Chloe turned to fully face Richard. "Really?" Her eyes grew big and sweet, and Richard had to remember to keep breathing. "Tell me all about it."

"I was so scared of the world, that I bothered the other kids and my parents with statistics all the time. I wouldn't even play baseball with my phobias." Richard rolled his eyes at his silly past.

Chloe tugged at the hem of her tunic. Her eyes skimmed the ground, like she was thinking. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing we have each other."

Richard gave her a weird look.

"We both like to read and we have been called freaks before," Chloe explained. "Who's to say we can't be friends?"

Richard just about jumped at the idea. And the bell had just rung.

"See you tomorrow?" Chloe asked, walking to a nearby table and picking up her bag.

Richard nodded, and waved goodbye to Chloe before heading out into the usual flow of student traffic, barely able to understand what had happened, as it had happened so fast with that beautiful girl taking up his sight so much.


	4. Lives of Bookworms

_**Chapter 4**_

It was decidedly a new routine for Richard to go to the library at lunch every day. He was beginning to enjoy the feeling of being in the concentrated quiet for twenty minutes just working on that paper. At this point, he estimated he could get the paper in at least a week earlier!

Richard read through the book at lightning speed, his pencil scribbling down notes quicker than he could pitch a ball.

"Do you always read that quickly?" a dreamy voice said behind him.

Richard jumped in his seat, concentration totally broken, turning around to face his spook. "God, don't do that!" he ordered when he noticed Chloe behind him. "Have you become a stalker?"

"I would do no such thing," Chloe answered defensively. "I'm not Jack the Ripper, except he murdered women at night, not stalk."

Richard snorted, placing a sliver of paper in his book. "So I guess you would know how to sneak up on people, besides knowing the entire literary world by heart?"

"Don't try and guess at that," Chloe replied, her eyes losing their glint. "I was only in the library when you were in, so I suspected you would be at the very least, happy to see me."

"And I am." At least I sort of am, he guessed to himself.

"Good to know," Chloe said, her smile returning to her face. "Still working on that project I see. You must be a big over achiever to want to get it done so fast. That's impressive."

"I'm a straight A student."

Chloe nodded her head, seriously impressed. "Honor roll, huh? So am I."

Richard slowly closed the book. "Honestly, how many books do you read a week?"

Chloe put her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Good question. I'd say, oh, about three or four."

"Gosh, you really mustn't have a life," Richard said. He instantly regretted saying the words. With Chloe, it was obvious not to insult the name of reading or literature itself.

For a moment, Chloe was taken aback. Her eyes grew wide and her shoulders rose. "I don't care about that silly who's-popular-and-who's-not business, Richard," she said simply. "The whole idea of judging people based on their popularity is just a pile of dog chocolate."

"When did I ever say I was judging you like that?"

"You never did. I hear that just because I read all the time that I have no life. Oh, those people make me so angry I wish I could breathe fire. Since when is being a bookworm a sin?" Chloe slumped her shoulders angrily, her eyes losing their glint yet again.

Richard was slightly shocked to see Chloe like this. What happened to the gentle, fantastic-like girl he was getting to know. It was becoming obvious that she didn't like the popular kids or those who thought that books were nothing but wastes of time, much less who took the name of literature in vain.

"Well, I stand on your side, if you have to know," Richard said supportively. "If you don't believe me, just look at my book. I've had it one day, and I'm already half-way through. It's actually pretty interesting."

Chloe smiled crookedly. "Well, Richard Tyler, I never thought I'd see the day when a jock would say that a biography is interesting. You must be getting back into the groove, aren't you? When was the last time you read a book, anyway?"

"_Dracula_, actually, weeks ago. Scared me half to death, I have to admit."

Chloe's smile broadened. "Oh, I know. I read it when I was ten- ran screaming from the room at some parts. Then again, I also loved the fantastic passion Stoker wrote with, showing how deeply he explored the mysterious ways of the vampire and those that even dared to stop him. Still, that book was my first real book love." Her eyes had their glint back, her smile like that of a fairy tale princess herself.

For a long moment, Richard forgot that he was seeing a human being, and not a fantasy character that had somehow popped out of a book. Chloe's energy for what she loved was incredible. She seemed so soft, and yet at the same time she was like a knight when anyone mentioned the fine arts as a waste, the intent passion in her eyes alone like a fine sword.

Chloe's eyes wandered towards the clock on the wall behind them. "Oh, gosh, how stupid of me. There are only five minutes left before the bell. I've kept you from your paper all period! I really should get going." Quickly, Chloe clutched her bag over her shoulder, and started speed-walking for the door.

Almost immediately, Richard grabbed her bag handle, pulling her back. "What, you gonna go without saying goodbye?"

"All right then. I'll see you tomorrow, Rich." Chloe gave him one last crooked smile before turning around, her fire hair swirling like a water current.

Richard frowned at his English folder on the table. It seemed now that Chloe was becoming a frequent visitor, it would be nearly impossible to focus on this paper. He could already see the homework hours for that night go late- if he would be able to squeeze everything in.

Because, he realized, with Chloe in his life, it would be impossible; and Richard knew it.


	5. In the Mind's Eye of Memory

_**Chapter 5**_

The due date was fast approaching- and the paper was getting close to being done. Like always, Richard's fingers typed at lightning speed and his book was nearly done.

By the end of the week, it was officially part of Richard's routine to go to the library at lunch. And as always, he found Chloe there, reading her books and sweeping herself away from the real world for a short while. Soon enough, Richard began to find that the same was happening to him- every time he was with Chloe, he seemed to forget that they were in the real world, because she reminded him so much of a fantasy character.

The week passed quickly, and the paper had finally reached the due basket in the classroom. Still, Richard and Chloe found other things to do in the library- which was Chloe explaining good books for Richard to read, or him suggesting to her that perhaps she try and leave the library for once in her life so she could try new things. She was not convinced.

"Suppose we start studying for finals?" Chloe suggested one afternoon.

Richard snorted. "Not yet. It's much too early for that. Seriously, who starts studying for finals this early? It's only the first week of May!"

"Ahem. I do. Oh yes, I know. No life."

"Cut it out, Chloe. I told you days ago that you have a life, except that it's not in the real world."

Chloe nodded, heaving her bag on the table they sat at, trying to find a pencil. Instead of finding a pencil, she accidentally swiped her hand to the side and knocked its opening off to the end of the table. Some books leaned out the side and slowly fell out to the floor. Richard bent down to help her put them back.

Just a bunch of textbooks, he noticed- big surprise there. Among the books, Richard noticed an open notebook with blank pages. There were no lines on the pages- they were totally blank, like computer paper.

Although this was Chloe's, Richard still wondered what could be in it, the temptation of opening it to the flip through extremely riveting. "What's this?" he asked, handing it to her.

Chloe took the notebook, flipping through it to be sure there wasn't anything that fell out. "My sketchbook," she answered. "It's one of my prized possessions, well, next to books, that is."

"A bookworm and an artist," Richard said, nodding. "Interesting."

"Want to see it?" Chloe offered, handing it to Richard. He took it from her and began to look through the pages.

Richard was astounded to find what he saw in the sketchbook. There were sketches of people- men, women, children, all striking different poses. One drawing had a beautiful young girl leaning her cheek on her hand, like she was waiting for someone, most of her face and chest etched in shadows. Another had a man on it, his hair sleeked back, his eyes gleaming, and his smile revealing two sharp, canine teeth sitting over his colorless lips. One other page had a woman sitting on a bench, her silver gown gleaming and wrinkling in a breeze, her red hair sparkling with flowers, and a rainbow of colors smearing and whirling over her body. And the last one Richard saw that caught his attention, was of a young women wearing a pink gown that was splattered with red, her eyes gazing insanely into space, standing against a black background engulfed with fire.

"These are pretty good," Richard commented, pointing to each as he looked through the drawings.

"Thank you," Chloe said, pleased with herself. "Those are all drawings of…"

"Let me guess- book characters."

"Exactly. This one here"- she pointed to the girl with her hand on her cheek- "is Juliet from _Romeo and Juliet_. She's waiting for her lord Romeo to come to her balcony. And this next one"- the woman with the flowery hair- "is Queen Titania from _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. I drew her just after she awoke from the fairy's spell."

Richard didn't speak. He was entirely captivated by Chloe's artwork. Not only was she an avid reader, but an incredible artist. Was there anything that she couldn't do in the artistic field?

"And you see this one?" Chloe continued, pointing to the frightening man. "This is Count Dracula. And this one"- she pointed to the woman with the red-splattered dress- "is Carrie White from _Stephen King's Carrie_."

Richard stared at the flames in the picture. They looked so real- another amazing example of Chloe's skills. "These drawings look so real," he breathed. "How do you do this?"

"I'm not sure," Chloe answered. "I read the books, and somehow I can picture the characters as I think they look. Of course, I read the descriptions of them, and then I add some things that really say that that is the character. To me, it's like a sixth sense."

"I'll say it's more like a second brain," Richard added. "These drawings aren't like anything I've seen before. It's like they have been in your mind since you were born, and you've been working on them since you could write."

Chloe shook her head. "I've had these drawings since I was eleven or twelve. Then though, I didn't think of myself as a tremendous artist. These drawings just came to me like any other idea." Her expression grew solemn, her eyebrows furrowing. "I've always had an active imagination, and no one except my own family has really approved of it.

"Back in those days, as a child, I was ridiculed because I was such a bookworm and I read so much. Kids would tell me I was weird because I always had my nose literally buried in a book, and that I wasn't fun. I didn't really believe them, considering my mind was always far away in the worlds I read about. Even as an eleven-year-old, I would still play pretend with my toys and fancy clothes and escape into my fantasy lands. There were nights that I didn't come out of them until well after midnight!" Chloe took a pause, as if trying to collect her thoughts.

"That great, huh?" Richard prompted, hoping to edge her further.

"And then," Chloe finally continued, "The older I got, the worse the teasing became. My fantasy worlds followed me everywhere I went, and as you can imagine, many thought that the very idea of having an intensely creative mind was a terrible nuisance. I didn't think much of them anyways. But still, the name-calling and shunning grew more frequent, until I began to believe that maybe I would have to face reality and give up my daydreams.

"Finally, one day, I was ridiculed so cruelly, that I nearly made myself forget my make-believe altogether." She shut her eyes for a minute and then frowned, folding her lips between her teeth. "They…they put my face on one of those Disney princesses and paired me with one of the most inattentive people in the school, and handed them out to everyone. It said, on the top, 'Dork and Damsel Dewey- a match made in Book Hell!'"

Richard found himself staring at the tabletop. There was a strange knot in the pit of his stomach, but at the same time, it felt all too familiar. He had been accustomed to torture from other kids, but not that badly. The worst he ever got was a good shunning and the typical name-calling, but never total humiliation in front of the entire student population. All of a sudden, the memory of seeing all those posters on the school walls was becoming as vivid as Chloe's drawings. The Photoshopped photo of a seventh grade Chloe head pasted onto the body of a Disney princess, standing next to the full figure of Dewey Grover, the kid that everyone knew had the tiniest attention span in the universe- the phenomenon of the seventh grade class. He couldn't believe it. From his own encounters he would have thought he was talking to a slightly different girl that, on top of that, was not the target of any social torture. But on the poster, that had Chloe? The Chloe that he was talking to now?

"That's my story. Impossible to say whether anyone still thinks of it from time to time, but my drawings are the only trace of outward imagination I have now, since times have changed," Chloe finished, flipping through her sketchbook solemnly.

"I can't tell you for sure, either," Richard answered. "But you know, I had forgotten all about the whole thing with the posters. Course, I didn't know who you were back then, so I can't really say the whole thing was that _juicy_."

Chloe half-smiled, her innocent grin, making Richard laugh softly, before her eyes glinted again. "Well, thank you, Richard. It takes a rare person to say the joke wasn't the downright funniest thing they ever saw in their lives."

"Need I remind you that I went through some gruesome stuff in my lifetime too," Richard added. "Guess the both of have had more than our fair share of social junk."

Chloe shrugged innocently. "But they'll never get the both of us again…" He held her palm out flat, like she was asking for Richard to put something in her hand. She pointed with her eyes to her hand, and mimicking Chloe's half-smile, Richard reached for her hand to shake it.

Before Richard could make the little pact with Chloe, an announcement on the P.A. system interrupted his movement. The both of them jumped at the suddenness. "_Chloe Dewey please report to the Main Office. Chloe Dewey please report to the Main Office_," the announcement said.

Richard and Chloe froze. Chloe had a nervous look on her face, and her eyes weren't glinting anymore. Richard glanced at her, concerned.

"What have I done?" Chloe questioned. "I've never gotten in trouble before. I certainly hope this is good."

"You want me to come with you?" Richard asked, gathering his books.

Chloe suddenly smiled, and nodded. Richard almost chuckled at the joy of seeing her eyes glint again.

Quickly, the two gathered their books and walked out of the library, a little nervous about what the future would bring.

It didn't take them very long to walk to the main office. Chloe still lagged behind a little, frightened of what she could be summoned down to the office for. She had never done anything to get in trouble for, and she certainly hoped it was for something like a school pride award or something along those lines. Still, she tried to keep her head held high and think happy thoughts. "Think happy thoughts, and they lift you up in the air," she said to herself. "But then, if only I could fly…"

Chloe walked up to the lady at the desk. "Name please?" the lady asked.

"Chloe Dewey."

"Ah, yes, we're expecting you." The lady talked into a little microphone and called for Mrs. Franks, Chloe's guidance counselor, to come out. Soon, a woman with shoulder-length blonde-gold hair walked out. Her expression was very solemn, and her eyes were filled with a sorrow that was plain enough for an infant to spot.

"Hello, Chloe. How are you?" she asked politely.

"Fine. How are you?"

"Dandy, honey. Here, come with me. We need to have a private talk in my office." Mrs. Franks gestured for Chloe to follow her, walking around the corner to another room.

Chloe turned back to Richard, who had taken a seat next to the entrance door. "I'll be back."

"I know. I won't move from here. Good luck."

"I'd appreciate that, Rich. But you can leave when the bell rings. I wouldn't want to make you late." Chloe's face was one of such innocence and sincerity that Richard had to pinch himself to keep from smiling like an idiot.

"I'm your friend, Chloe. I'm staying right here."

Chloe smiled before walking away. "Thanks. You really are a true friend. And a kindred spirit too." She whispered the last part under her breath.

Richard leaned forward to ask her to repeat what she said. Chloe was already around the corner before he could ask.

Taking a deep breath, Richard sat back. He was a little nervous for Chloe. When people were summoned to the main office, it wasn't usually for something good. It was for troublesome things like gangs and vandalism and crime. It was pretty rare that you were summoned there for an accomplishment.

After a few minutes, Richard heard a series of sounds from the guidance room. Chloe emitted a shout shortly after she entered, and there were muffled whimpers, like she was crying. Mrs. Franks' calm voice tried to sound helpful, but Chloe's anguished sobs didn't stop. Richard froze in his seat- what on earth was happening that made tough-girl Chloe cry like that? It had to be something truly traumatizing in that case. Unless he had misread her character and it was something really silly, like a broken nail or a mess-up of some kind. Whatever the case was, it couldn't be good in Chloe's.

Chloe came out, her eyes full of tears. Her eyes brimmed with pink, and they had the same glint- except it was a sad, gloomy glint.

"Chloe, what happened?" Richard asked, jumping up.

Chloe couldn't talk for a minute, she was crying so hard. "My…grandpa…he…he…died!" she moaned as she collapsed onto a chair.


	6. Bad News and Strange Signs

_**Chapter 6**_

"What? Mr. Dewey?" Richard asked, shocked.

"Yes," Chloe said between tears. "I'm going home soon. They…said…I could…go home…the rest of the day."

"Chloe, take a breather," Richard said. "It'll be okay."

"You're right," Chloe said, trying to take a breath. "But…it's my…grandpa. I've known him…my whole life…and he's…gone!"

"Shh," Richard said, trying to be gentle.

"Can I…can…I…hug you?" Chloe asked, her eyes running wildly with tears.

Richard was taken aback for a second. Chloe, of all things, was asking to hug him. Then again, she was in a great need of consolation, and she was his friend. "Sure."

Chloe wrapped her arms around Richard, clinging herself to him. Richard slowly warmed to her, and put his arm around her shoulder. He was tense though; he was being hugged by a girl, but by a friend who was a girl. Although, this was Chloe, the sweetest, smartest girl he knew.

"Oh, Rich," Chloe sobbed. "Thank you so much for being there for me. I don't know what I'd do now without you."

"Don't overact," Richard replied. "You'll be just fine, Chloe." All too suddenly, Richard could feel his heart melting. Seeing Chloe like this was too heart-wrenching. And for all he knew, Mr. Dewey was the only librarian who could make that library special. Now that he was gone, the library wouldn't be so mysterious and marveling. It certainly wouldn't be the same for Chloe- after all, she probably went to that place every single day of her life. It couldn't possibly be the same ever again.

"Chloe, your parents are on their way," Mrs. Franks said gently, coming out from her office.

Chloe didn't look up- she still had her head pushed against Richard's shirt.

Finally, Chloe's parents walked in to get her. Her mother tapped her on the shoulder. "Chloe, honey. We're here."

Chloe looked up, her eyes lined with red. "Okay, one minute." She turned to Richard. "Thanks, Rich. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Chloe. Don't worry, you'll be okay." But then, something began to nag at the back of his mind- like a long lost memory poking through his memoirs of life past. And then, it came back to him- a saying that someone had told him a long time ago that escaped his lips. "When in doubt, look to the books."

"I will," Chloe answered, standing up. "See you later."

Richard waved goodbye as she walked out.

Just a moment later, the bell rang.

* * *

"God, man, where have you been?" Travis asked at lunch a few days later. Since Chloe had gotten the news that Mr. Dewey had died, she hadn't shown up since. Luckily, Richard and Chloe had exchanged phone numbers, so she had left him an awful lot of calls. Not to mention that Richard had been in the library for lunch those past days; for those days he had some false hope that Chloe would come back and she and him would do their usual routine together. She never showed up.

"A friend's grandpa died," Richard answered simply. "A lot of important phone calls have come in. And there's homework I had to get done before baseball. The championship's in a few weeks- I can't slip up now."

"Who?" Travis asked. "Whose grandpa died?"

"Chloe Dewey," Richard answered, after a minute of hesitation.

"Chloe? Dewey?" Travis sputtered, nearly choking on his milk. "The girl who hides her face in a book all day? Who dresses like she came from Camelot?"

"Yeah, her."

"Since when have you been talking to her? She's a geek."

"Who is not as geeky as people say she is. Sure she is a little bookworm-ish, but she is still very nice. I think you'd like her if you got to know her."

"Eh, I don't know, Rich. Everyone here knows that Chloe Dewey never hangs with the cool crowd anyways. I don't see why I'd want to talk to her. Don't get me wrong dude, she is pretty and all. But talking to her would ruin my rep."

"You should. If our English teacher ever assigns us a book report on a classic, she's the one to go to. Trust me."

"What's her number?"

Richard smirked. He knew Travis couldn't resist a shortcut out of papers and homework- especially for English class, the one class he was failing.

"But that doesn't mean I'm going to make polite conversation with her on a daily basis," Travis added, taking a casual sip of his milk.

"I'm not going to force you," Richard added. "I'm still suggesting that you should sometime. You might like her not just as a homework buddy."

"Are you suggesting that I should get to know her to like her?"

"Forget it, Travis. I guess I was stupid for trying to convince you in the first place. You don't like smart girls."

"Whatever, Rich. I don't really care."

Richard frowned and shook his head. Why was it that every jock in this school was like every cliché high school- hating geeks and liking the dopey cheerleaders? And he was the goody-goody that liked the pretty, geeky girls?

But why did that matter? Chloe was his good friend, and she was in need of him right now. Her grandpa was dead after all, and Richard had a duty to be there for her. If Travis didn't care, Richard didn't care. Of course, Travis was a good baseball buddy that he could eat lunch and play ball with, but Richard felt like he could actually trust Chloe to listen to him like a true friend. That was what he liked about her.

Suddenly, far off somewhere, Richard heard a sound. It sounded like the sound of clanging metal. Swiping and sweeping, and yelling. Why did that sound seem so familiar? Hold on, it was the sound of clanging swords!

Richard glanced around, looking for the source of the sound. Everyone in the lunch room was talking and eating their lunches. No mysterious soldiers fighting in combat. Richard frowned crookedly at the strange sound.

"You okay, Rich?" Travis suddenly asked, scaring Richard out of his mysterious reverie.

"I'm fine," Richard improvised. "Thinking about upcoming project."

"Insane how they give us these big projects even when we have to study for finals weeks early," Travis commented, shaking his shaggy brunette head back and forth. "Those tests are just a bunch of B.S., am I right? You'd think those unit tests are enough, but no- they have to make us cram for another massive test that only takes up baseball time!" He made a shushing sound with his teeth like he hated the very sound of a test.

Richard nodded. His mind was still on those sounds he had heard. It was the strangest thing that had happened since Mr. Dewey had died so suddenly. Maybe it would help to tell Chloe. She would understand, Richard knew that.

She was his only true friend.


	7. Sounds from Another World

_**Chapter 7**_

For a few more days, Chloe still didn't come back. Richard guessed that the death was pretty traumatic for the whole family. For someone to be gone for an entire week was crazy- but hopefully Chloe was getting better. That way, she could probably help him figure out what was up with the sounds he heard.

The sounds never went away, and Richard was trying to decode a pattern in them. A few hours before lunch, he heard the sounds of raspy, male voices yelling things like "Land ho!", "Ships ahoy!", "Get here, cabin boy!" It was automatically known to him that he was hearing pirate voices. Sometimes, he even heard the sounds of waves splashing and seagulls cawing against a salty sea wind that sometimes blew through the lunchroom, scattering books and papers.

At this point, Richard was getting nervous. He had absolutely no idea where those sounds were coming from. And oddly enough, they were sounds that you would only hear in the literary world. Chloe would have told him that right off the bat. He even heard the sounds of fire crackling and moving at great speeds, like they were being breathed from the giant mouth of a great dragon! And with those sounds, he would feel the heat of a fire, and the jerky, poppy sensation of the crackling flames.

Now, Richard had made up his mind. The minute he could call or see Chloe again, he would tell her about the voices, and get to the bottom of the situation. She was the only one he trusted to tell them to. Maybe her infatuation with the literary world would give her some inspiration, and tell Richard what the sounds meant. Of course, it was wishful thinking, but Richard hoped somewhat that Chloe would be hearing the same sounds- that way, she would know first-hand what those sounds meant. Richard was also beginning to think that maybe, just perhaps maybe, that his sanity depended on it.

* * *

Again, Richard had- just his luck- been assigned another project from English. He could swear now that his English teacher was in love with papers, Shakespeare, and making the class miserable and bored. Not to mention that finals were only a month away, and that there was intense studying to do to keep those straight A's on the report card.

And what was worse, Richard still hadn't seen Chloe. Richard missed her being there so he could talk to her while he did homework. She made those long, twenty minutes interesting for him. Hopefully, she would be coming back soon- then he could finally spill the beans about those sounds.

"What light on yonder table breaks? It is the east and Richard is the sun," a voice behind him said.

Richard jumped- at the sudden voice, and the surge of joy at the familiar voice. He spun around, smiling all the way up to his ears. "Chloe, you're back!" he said joyfully, standing up to greet her.

"At long last!" Chloe added, her wide smile glimmering under the fluorescent lights. "You won't believe how much I missed you! I was so lonely without you."

"And my English teacher has been declared insane," Richard said, gesturing towards his project space. "She gave us another project. I sure could have used your help on that."

"Well, I'm afraid there could be more important things than that," Chloe said grimly, her smile slowly disappearing.

"What do you mean?"

Chloe sat him in his chair, and she sat close to Richard, bringing her voice down to a whisper as she flitted her eyes around the library, as if to be sure no one was listening. "You may be questioning my sanity as of this moment, but after the funeral, I began to hear voices and sounds in my head. I heard sounds like whalers shouting to whales, girls calling to lovers, and seductive moaning from women. And I'm not sure what to do about that. Between you and me, I'm thinking that this might be a strong case of insanity."

Richard was shocked- so Chloe would definitely understand the voices; she'd been hearing them herself.

"The same thing happened to me," Richard confessed, lowering his voice. "I heard swords clanging, pirates, and dragons."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows, as if in thought. "You know, the way I see it, it's like these sounds are coming from famous books. The pirates, I know, are from _Treasure Island_. The seductive sounds could be from _Dracula_, and the dragon is probably just a representation of a fairy tale."

Richard nodded. "What do you think that could mean?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know, but my intuition tells me that we should go to the library downtown. Maybe there's something magic going on, and where these voices are coming from can tell us something. Call me crazy, but I believe that's what we should do. There's something calling not just me, but you as well."

Richard nodded in partial comprehension. "I guess," he said. "I don't see what going to the library will do for us, but if you say so."

"Not this time, I'm not unsure," Chloe said confidently. "If those strange things keep happening to me, and now they're happening to the both of us, I'm beginning to suspect that there's some great destiny in store for us. And what better place to find that destiny than at the library, where anything is possible?"

Still, Richard was unsure of what to think. But maybe Chloe could be right. He trusted her, so he was ready to believe wholeheartedly that something great would happen.

"When should we go?" Chloe asked.

"Friday," Richard said. "Ten o'clock. Anytime that we can get away from our parents easily."

"Great idea," Chloe answered. "I believe we can be back in time for curfew."

"It's done then," Richard declared. "Ten o'clock. Friday night!"


	8. Into the Library

_**Chapter 8**_

The night was very quiet, luckily for Richard and Chloe. Richard drove cautiously while Chloe tugged excitedly at the hem of her indigo tunic. Their excitement kept their conversations rather low, so the car was quiet as a cemetery.

Unfortunately, Richard had forgotten something. From the street he had driven from, there was, mysteriously, no road leading straight to the library. It had been a while since he had last been to the library, and the darkness of the park surrounding the library was nowhere to be found. The inkiness of the late night hour didn't help either, even with the bright headlights on

Richard looked right and left and ahead through the windshield, straining to see a path, a streetlamp, anything that might give away the path to the library. There was nothing there, but a long, dark road leading down into the next subdivision, with a vast stretch of trees on his right.

"Hmm," Richard muttered half to himself. "You'd think that I'd be able to navigate to the library. I was so sure it was down the way we came…"

"And you did," Chloe interrupted. She pointed her index finger in the direction of the forest. Richard followed her finger, and found to his great surprise a sidewalk leading into the trees. In the glow from the headlights, Richard could barely see it, but decided to trust Chloe's decision.

"Okay," he said, stretching out the word. He parked the car and climbed out, Chloe in tow. He then reached back into the ashtray and pulled out a mini flashlight. "I sure hope this still works," he said, flicking it on. The light didn't go very far, but it was adequate enough. Taking the first steps, Richard took the lead on the path into the park, Chloe stepping up beside him with a calm, steady stride.

Following the winding path through the trees was difficult with limited light, but the openness of the park was comforting in the slightest. In the park, some street lamps were lit, giving a warm, sweet glow to the place. Richard scanned his eyes around the park for the library, soon spotting it among the trees and vines that covered part of the stone building. He walked towards it, gaining some speed as he went along.

As they got closer, the spectacle of it began to awe Richard after having not seen it in such a while. The tall oak doors stretched up to the domed roof, guarded by tall columns and menacing stone lions.

Chloe and Richard together, pulled open the doors, which were, surprisingly, unlocked. "Grandpa never locked the place up," Chloe said, giving the unlocked door a lopsided grin. "I guess no one has come here since he passed."

She pulled the door open further, and looked inside to complete darkness. Turning, she motioned for Richard to follow, and he walked in after her, Chloe letting go of the door. Both doors slammed behind them, echoing in the vast open space around them. The noise startled them, and Richard gasped. The place was huge, with high ceilings, in which elaborate chandeliers hung unlit and tall bookshelves stretched as far as the horizon, it seemed. Still, the place was as silent as the darkness, and it looked rather spooky to him.

Slowly, Chloe made her way into the darkness. She gestured for Richard to follow her, but he was hesitant to follow.

"Listen, follow me," Chloe said. "We'll follow the shelves by the light of the lamps outside to the rotunda, and then, we shall decide what to do from there. All right?"

"Okay," Richard answered, following Chloe's lead into the unknown darkness. It was beginning to bring back memories of walking down the aisles, shelves shooting up on either side of him. The aisles were so quiet- save for their footfalls in the darkness- that Richard could swear he heard voices telling them where to go; ghostly voices that were barely above a whisper, but there nonetheless.

"What?" Chloe suddenly asked.

"I didn't say anything," Richard answered.

"Hmm," Chloe murmured, her voice low, as if deep in thought.

"What did you hear?"

"It was like there was someone speaking to me. The voice simply said, 'Chloe. Richard. You have arrived at last.'"

Richard's eyes scrunched, deep in confusion. "That's weird. There's no one else here except us. Where did you hear it?"

"It sounded close. It's as if they're either right around the corner, or even, inside my head!"

"Oh, great. We're hearing voices again."

"Maybe these are good voices. They might be trying to guide us somewhere- like to the rotunda, where we can find the answers. The good voices are always the guides in the fantasy books I've read."

"How could we find the answers to hearing literary voices in the rotunda again? All there is, is just a round opening and a high ceiling. That's all there is here."

"Grandpa always told me that there's a magical portal in the rotunda. It's where all the fiction sections come together- where the characters and stories unite."

"You're beginning to scare me, Chloe. I would have stopped believing that story years ago."

"Be quiet, Richard. Listen to those voices. There might be something bigger than just us hearing voices. This could be a bigger something than we suspected."

Richard rolled his eyes and concentrated on the quiet. Soon enough, he could hear voices- "Fee, fi, fo fum!", "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?", "Help me, spirit!", "I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him…" One after another, he could hear them echoing in the vastness, and they came from straight ahead towards the rotunda.

Suddenly, Richard no longer felt closed in by the bookshelves. Around him, he felt open, like he was standing onstage before the lights would come on.

"We're here," Chloe said, pointing up in the darkness. Taking a few more steps, she walked into what Richard was sure was the rotunda. It made Richard uncomfortable to be in a space that large, not to mention that they were in a place that mysteriously meant a lot to the both of them. Chloe didn't seem scared- she walked further into the rotunda, her footsteps gentle on the marble floor.

"Hello?" Chloe called, her voice echoing loudly in the space. "It's us- Chloe and Richard. Whoever sends those voices, come to us."

Richard was used to Chloe being slightly unusual, but this seemed overly ridiculous. What was talking to nothingness going to get them? Nowhere, that was what, he thought.

For many moments, there was utter silence, the sounds of Richard and Chloe's deep breathing to break the quiet.

All of a sudden, a loud _bang _echoed throughout the library, so loud and instantaneous that Chloe jumped, falling backwards and tumbling head-first towards the floor. Unfortunately, she stumbled backwards into Richard, bringing him down with her. She had stumbled backwards so quickly, that Richard couldn't react, only to fall onto the floor. His head came down onto the marble, sending a painful jolt through his brain, and he shut his eyes fast with the sharp hurt. He wanted to get up again, to get out before anything else happened. Strangely though, his brain, nor body, wanted to get up; his head hurt too much. Just to lie there…

Chloe had fallen down onto the ground close to Richard, where she had hit her head too. She was still in the blink of an eye, her limbs spread out over the floor. After the sounds of banging on the marble floor, the entire library fell silent- at least until a large book cart rolled into the room, squeaking gently. It stopped abruptly at Richard's feet, and a loose book fell from its place on the cart, as the low rumble of thunder sounded from above. Its thick spine collided with the floor…

_Bang!_

Chloe's eyes sprang open in a nanosecond, and at that same instant, the chandeliers that lined the aisles and the circumference of the round rotunda ceiling, where the great mural of fictional characters was painted, came on with explosive pops, with a snow-white flash from outside. Both Chloe and Richard jumped back to life, getting back to their feet.

"I suppose, the voices…they heard me," Chloe said, turning her head to look in all directions, taking deep breaths to relieve herself from the surprise of the lights.

"This is weird," Richard said, shaking his head in confusion. "This can't be happening."

"_Welcome_," an old man's voice said out of nowhere. The voice was deep, smooth, and gentle, like a wise grandfather. "_Richard Tyler and Chloe Dewey. We have been waiting for you to answer our calls for so long. And now that you have arrived, we welcome you with many open arms into our kingdom._"

"Who are you?" Richard called. The voice seemed familiar, but somehow, he couldn't put his finger on it. It seemed like he remembered it from a far-off memory- or a dream; maybe a dream of a dream. He still could not remember, the memory was so distant.

His thoughts though, were interrupted by the sudden dimming of the chandeliers, like they were glimmering with real fire, and Richard felt something vibrating beneath him. Looking down, he didn't see anything happening, but then again, was the compass carved into the floor always that bright blue?

"Richard, look!" Chloe said, pointing up towards the ceiling. Her eyes were excited and big, the green barely sparkling in the dimness.

Richard glanced upward, and what he saw made his heart stop with amazement. The mural was moving, and all the characters on it were looking down at him and Chloe with admiration and smiles. The old wizard-like man in the center was smiling the most, his staff waving gently above the folds of his book-page robe, which wavered in a soft breeze and rustled like autumn leaves. From the end of the staff, there was a bright, glowing ball, refracting light like a disco ball. And from that ball, a magical swirl of light gently flew from it, lighting up the space even more with the chandeliers and the lightning.

"I don't believe it!" Chloe gasped, opening her mouth wide with amazement. "This isn't real. But it has to be!"

Richard couldn't say anything. The characters in the mural were moving, but now as he looked down at his feet, he saw the compass glowing a brighter shade of blue- from teal to periwinkle to neon blue to white. He was tempted for a second to grab Chloe and make a run for it, but for some strange reason, he was rooted to the spot, as though the compass itself had grabbed him by the feet. A glance at the mural again told him that the old man with the glowing staff was doing this strange magic. The man still smiled at him and Chloe, waving his staff more, and it glowed white as the compass.

"Chloe?" Richard asked nervously.

"Richard?" Chloe repeated in a similar tone.

"Should we get out of here?"

The voice came back, speaking firmly, but gently at the same time. "_Do not leave, neither one of you. Our world is in danger, and we need you more than we may ever again. You will be brought through the door shortly. The entire imagination welcomes you into their world_!"

Richard and Chloe heeded the voice, and stood where they were as the light began to swallow them and the rest of the library. The compass suddenly grew bigger, growing like a vine up the columns, and up to the mural. The vine-like lines of the growing compass all connected to the ball in the man's staff, and Chloe's eyes grew frightened as the compass's light completely obliterated their vision of the library altogether. Richard kept his eyes on Chloe, hoping not to lose her from his sight when they came to wherever this so-called magic was taking them.

The light continued to expand and grow around them, in a high jungle of intertwining lines that multiplied to fill the black spaces between them. Chloe turned away from Richard and began to pull on her feet to release herself from the floor, but she was held like glue.

"No, let me go!" Chloe cried, her voice rising to a loud scream. Her breathing grew fast and frightened, as she desperately searched for a way out from the light.

"This isn't working!" she cried.

"Just hold on!" Richard commanded, gesturing wildly for Chloe to take his hand. "Just stay close. We're not going to go anywhere. Now hurry, c'mon!"

With a lunge, Chloe grasped Richard's wrist, wrapping her fingers around his, clenching them enough that her fingers dug into his skin. He held tight to her, never letting her go.

The light had expanded enough that now the only face they could see was the old man's. He still smiled down at them, his eyes gleaming greatly.

Suddenly, Richard and Chloe both fell forward, as if pushed from behind with invisible hands. The floor fell away from them, and they began to fly down, or was that up, towards the mural? Chloe screamed in fright, and Richard shut his eyes tight. When he finally plucked up his courage, he saw for a split second the real floor of the library falling away from them, like the library had been turned upside down, and the mural was flying towards them. As they fell further away, the library floor disappeared again into the swirling mist of magic and light caving in on them as the mural drew closer and closer at a frightening pace.

It all came too fast for Richard and Chloe, as the mural came inches from their faces. They expected to hit the hard surface, shutting their eyes for the impact. But much to their surprise, the surface felt smooth and wet, like gelatin, and they passed right through!

The surprise caught them in its tremendous grasp, as Richard and Chloe came crashing towards a body of water. They didn't even see it though, as their eyes were still closed from the fright of hitting the mural surface. The splash crashed on them, pushing them below the surface…to drown in a strange place far away from home.

That is, if something hadn't caught them before they could so much as sink below the surface…


	9. Return of the Pagemaster

_**Chapter 9**_

Richard and Chloe bounced high off what had caught them, and they landed bottom-first on the nearby beach. Richard sat up, feeling his head and rubbing it gently. Chloe sat up beside him, looking just as disoriented. Her hair was a mess and her indigo tunic was wrapped oddly in places that shouldn't have been showing. Quickly, she pulled down her shirt and smoothed it out.

Chloe shook her head to clear her mind, and looked around. Around them was a beach, with palm trees and beach grass surrounding the sandy land. Seagulls flew overhead, cawing and calling with excitement. What had just happened though? Had they fallen asleep in the library and were having a strange dream? Or had that strange magic really happened and they were really sitting on a beach that could be thousands of miles away from home and they might never get home? Chloe tried not to think for a moment- the thought was too unreal.

"M' lord? M' lady?" a voice said out of nowhere. Richard and Chloe turned their heads in all directions searching for the voice.

A young man dressed in a white shirt, black and blue slacks, and silver-and-red armor, carrying a sword in its sheath, walked up to them, standing at ease. "Richard Tyler, Chloe Dewey, my name is Sir Hugo. It is an honor and a privilege to be meeting you both at last." He held out his hand, and helped them to their feet, shaking their hands in the process.

"What is this place?" Richard asked almost immediately.

"The Place of the Imagination," Sir Hugo answered, standing taller. "Of course, I would love to explain it in further detail however, but we must get inside. His High Pageness, the Pagemaster, wishes to see you right away. Follow me."

"The Pagemaster?" Chloe asked, her voice rising a couple octaves.

"Yes, the Pagemaster," Sir Hugo said. "He is king of all things imaginative and all things written within the pages of a book. He has been seeking you both for a while, so we mustn't stand here talking while he grows older and less powerful." With a turn on his heel, he walked towards a palm tree, not seeming to pay attention where he was going.

"Um, sir, you're going towards that tree," Chloe remarked. "Don't you know where you're…?"

Sir Hugo continued to walk towards the palm tree, except when he came inches from it, he disappeared into thin air, vanishing like a ghost. "Follow me," his voice echoed like it was carrying itself away through the air.

"Okay," Richard said, frowning crookedly. "But, what are we supposed to do?"

"Walk to the tree, of course," Sir Hugo's voice said, echoing like he was standing in a vast space.

And so, Richard began walking towards the tree. He half-expected to simply walk into the tree and get a mark on the head, but before he could walk into it, he found himself walking into a dark void for a split second, before the void was filled with a swirl of color. Richard felt like he was flying with the speed of the swirling colors.

The colors instantly vanished after a moment though, and Richard found himself facing a huge throne room. Tapestries hung from every corner, depicting scenes from what Richard assumed were from the literary world. The blood-red walls had dents and curves and engravings in them, making them look like they were made from a lineup of stone book spines. A series of carpeted stairs led up to a large throne, in which an old man wearing a red-and-gold robe made from book pages sat. His long white beard reached his lap, and his eyes sparkled in the light.

"Richard there you are!" Chloe said from behind him. "Wasn't that the most amazing thing you've ever seen?"

"I know," Richard replied. He pointed up towards the man on the throne. "You think that's him?"

Chloe shrugged and walked towards the throne. She kneeled on the floor and bowed her head respectfully. "Sir, who do I have the honor of addressing?" she asked.

"My dear, I am the Pagemaster, the keeper of the books, and the guardian of the written word," he answered, gesturing all around at the room, especially to the engraved books on the wall behind. "I presume that you are one Lady Chloe Dewey?"

"Yes, I am," Chloe answered, looking up in amazement at the Pagemaster. Her eyes were slightly wide with awe, sparkling jade in the light from the chandeliers hanging overhead.

"And you, my boy, are Sir Richard Tyler?"

"Yes, sir," Richard answered with a nod, his voice barely above a whisper. His mind was spinning, why did the sight and the sound of the Pagemaster ring a bell? He remembered something from a long time ago- a giant walking between the aisles, a Viking ship, and the giant bookshelves of the library. And then…the giant dome of light…

Richard's head jolted when he realized what he was remembering. He had been here before, and the Pagemaster had helped him there with his magic. There had been three friends he met along the way, and they helped him too- at the time they were the only friends he'd ever had. Someone could have filled a book with all the things Richard began to remember from that past time.

The Pagemaster stepped down from his throne, and bowed to the two of them. "I trust my esteemed Sir Hugo has explained to you why you two are here?" he asked, putting his hands together as though tensing excitedly for something.

"Sort of," Richard answered. "Maybe you can tell us exactly why we are here."

"He told us that you wanted us for something; and that we were _Sir_ Richard and _Lady_ Chloe," Chloe added, her smile twisting.

"Ah, yes, I can," the Pagemaster replied, "as long as you can sit down with me up here by my throne." He gestured towards the space around his throne.

Richard and Chloe looked at each before nodding yes. "We'd like to, Pagemaster, sir," Chloe answered, curtsying low.

"Very well, then." The Pagemaster then plucked two pages from his cloak and with a popping sound and a small fireworks display of magic, the pages transformed into two wooden chairs, complete with red cushioning. Chloe gasped when she saw the display of magic, before stepping up onto the platform. Richard followed suit, and they sat down together on the chairs, facing the throne. The Pagemaster turned his throne around and they faced each other in a small triangle.

"Now, to start off, it is a pleasure to meet the both of you," the Pagemaster began. "Although, I do remember you, Richard Tyler. You took your first journey into my world, what was it, six years ago?"

"Yeah," Richard answered.

"And Chloe, she has taken so many journeys into this world, it's quite hard to say how many precisely," the Pagemaster continued, looking at Chloe. "Although, I can't say I've ever met you in person."

"No, sir, you haven't," Chloe clarified, shaking her head.

"Well, I'm glad to see you have finally made it. Now, I have asked you to come here on a very important matter. A tragic event has occurred from outside the control of our forces. However, that event has put some people in our world in grave danger, and we will need the both of you to lead us."

Richard gave the Pagemaster a confused look. "And, what has happened?"

The Pagemaster's voice turned grim, and his face drooped into a grieved frown. "The Prince of the Imagination, and the head of our esteemed forces, called the Binding Order, has passed away," he answered.

Chloe's eyes widened and she leaned forward, grabbing the arms of her chair in intense surprise. "You mean Mr. Dewey? M-m-my grandpa?"

The Pagemaster nodded his head. "Yes, my dear. Cornelius was a dear comrade, and my apprentice. But you see, there has been a disturbance within the confines of our world. Some of the villains, as they are called in their stories, have come together and have made plans to perform unspeakable things. At this point, we are quite uncertain what those plans may be, but we must find out as soon as possible."

"But why us?" Richard wanted to know. "Why did you make us come here? We've never used a sword or led an army before."

"Much less led an army," Chloe added, straightening her hair anxiously.

The Pagemaster fixed his eyes on the both of them, smiling a tiny smile in the corner of his mouth. "That, my comrades, is because I see, deep inside both of you, a courage and a will of determination much stronger than any force the opposing army will ever have. The knowledge and cunning inside you is unlike anything I've ever seen before."

Richard gave the Pagemaster another odd look. He didn't understand a word coming out of the book wizard's mouth. The idea of standing up for the job of leading an army that could decide the fate of an imaginative world of fiction, was totally out of the question. Sure Richard knew he was brave, but not brave enough to lead an army. Maybe Chloe could, though. She was tough and courageous, and she had read enough books to predict the actions and plans of the villains. She would be better for the job that was for sure.

Richard shook his head. What could he be thinking? Chloe was his friend and it was his job right now to be there alongside her through thick and thin. He would be scared, but at least he wouldn't be alone.

"Tell us more about this Binding Order," Chloe asked, leaning forward further with anxious interest.

The Pagemaster cleared his throat, locking his fingers on his lap. "The Binding Order, my lady, is what has established the peace between our world, and the other world, where you come from," he answered. "Your grandfather was part of that Order, as you know, and thus far since his decease, the Order has been, well, without order. That is also where we need you- to lead the Order and the rest of your army, now known as my very own Pages, into a battle. However, we can't go into battle just yet without knowing their purpose. We will need that information as soon as possible."

"And how are we gonna do that?" Richard asked.

"That has been undecided," the Pagemaster replied. He stood up from his throne. "Now, I believe we must be getting you to your chambers now. We will need the both of you to stay for awhile so we can complete this time, and reestablish the peace."

Richard opened his eyes wide and shook his head. "But, Pagemaster, sir, we have to go home. It could be days before we even get to the battlefield. Could we at least go back and have you call us back whenever you need us?"

"I'm afraid that's out of the question, my boy," the Pagemaster replied, turning the chairs back into book pages and sticking them back in his cloak. "It will be too exhausting to have to call you back every few hours. And still, you will need to learn how to use your weaponry."

Richard frowned to himself. This was definitely not the best time to stay for months only to do battle within the literary world, especially when the championship for baseball was a few weeks away. Maybe that wasn't important now- Richard didn't know.

The Pagemaster stood by talking to Sir Hugo nearby, and then walked back to his throne. Sir Hugo, on the other hand, gestured for Richard and Chloe to follow him, and he began to lead them down a dim hallway.

At the end of the hallway was another hallway, in which a series of doors lined up. Sir Hugo led them to one door, and opened it. Inside was a hotel-like room, with two beds, a large window adorned with scarlet, velvet curtains, and a few tables with books and scrolls scattered all over, the woodwork all made up of carved lines of books.

"Welcome to your chambers," Sir Hugo said, stepping aside for them to walk in. "We have already brought your clothes in for you. Meals will be brought in shortly."

"Thank you, Sir Hugo," Chloe said curtly, curtsying briefly with an invisible dress. 'You may leave."

Sir Hugo bowed to Chloe and left the room, shutting the wooden door behind him.

Richard slumped on one of the beds. "What is this all about, Chloe?" he asked. "We can't stay here for more than a few hours. We're gonna miss something and our parents will worry."

Chloe began to make herself at home, cleaning up the scattered scrolls and books, and searching for someplace where they might keep sets of pajamas. "Rich, I don't think that's going to happen," she said. "It's the first rule in fantasy books- when someone goes into another world, no time passes on Earth. We've landed in a fantasy book ourselves, so no time will pass when we're here. Trust me. I've read more books than you'll read in a lifetime. I believe I know what we're in for."

Richard knew he could trust Chloe with her smarts and friendship, but he still felt doubtful about time. It wasn't entirely likely for absolutely no time to pass while they were here. But what did he know? It had been months since he read a fantasy book with a plot like theirs.

"Now where did they say we could find spare clothes?" Chloe asked, turning things over. She turned over a large stool before stumbling upon a trunk. With a grunt and a pull, she pulled it open, revealing just what she needed.

"Rich, look at this," Chloe said, reaching into the trunk. She pulled out the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen- a blue-and-silver, sparkling dress with a large V-neck with off-the-shoulder bell-sleeves that fell to the floor in length. It looked like something a goddess would wear, except with a skirt that extended all the way to the floor, and flowed out at a full three-sixty angle when she twirled it in front of her. The ends of the sleeves and hem of the skirt were sky blue, while the rest was blazing silver, like snow.

Excitedly, Chloe disappeared behind a changing screen, and came out a few minutes later. Richard's breath caught in his throat when he saw her.

Chloe appeared looking like the true vision of an angel. The silver of the dress made her features glow, and her smile was unlike any other Richard had seen. For a moment, he forgot that she was a regular bookworm, and thought that she was a princess that belonged in the literary world. Who knew; maybe she did.

"You should see yourself," Richard said, sweeping a stray strand of hair aside. "No one is going to mistake you for a geek ever again."

"Well, I have never seen myself this way," Chloe said, picking up some folds of the dress then letting them fall. The sleeves swished jubilantly yet they moved so freely like silk on a breeze.

Richard glanced into the trunk, and found some clothes for himself. He found a gold tunic, black slacks, white knee-high socks, black boots, and a black belt to tie the tunic off. His chest pounding, he stepped behind the changing screen and stepped out a few moments later.

Chloe smiled widely when she saw Richard. Not only did he look amazing in those clothes, aside the long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans that he usually wore, but he looked like the storybook prince charming. Not that Chloe was a big fashion expert, but there seemed to be something missing from the set.

"We look wonderful," Chloe said, getting up from her bed, "but we need something to complete the set." She made her way to the trunk, and rummaged through, hoping to find something.

Richard stayed where he was, watching Chloe's arms moving rapidly through the trunk. Her body jolted upward after a moment, carrying two large pieces of fabric in her arms. "Aha! Look at these!"

Chloe handed the large, red piece to Richard, and shook out the royal blue piece for herself. "Go on, put it on," she instructed, flinging the blue fabric around her shoulders. At the neck, she clasped a large, silver buckle, and twirled around. The cape flared out, swirling and shining against the velvety fabric.

Richard swung the fabric around himself, and clasped a golden clasp at his neck. The heavy fabric swung gently against his back.

"I honestly wish we had a mirror in here," Chloe said, playing with the folds of her cape. "We must look absolutely marvelous in these clothes!"

"If you could only see yourself," Richard added, feeling the velvety softness of Chloe's royal blue cape. "You look like you belong here."

"You don't look so pauper-ish yourself," Chloe said.

And somewhere inside him, Richard began to think that maybe staying here for a long time wouldn't be such a bad idea. Especially if it meant that time wouldn't be passing, and looking at Chloe the way she did now.


	10. Robin Hood

_**Chapter 10**_

"Your morning meal is ready, miss," a servant said as she wriggled Chloe awake in her bed. She did the same to Richard, the two teens groaning and yawning as they sat up.

Richard looked at his watch. "It's nine-thirty," he observed. "Unless there's a huge time change between worlds."

"I doubt it," Chloe added.

"Shall I help you dress?" the servant asked.

Richard looked down at himself conscientiously. "Um, no, you may go," he answered. The servant left with a neutral expression, closing the door behind her.

"It's like we're royalty," Richard observed.

"We practically are," Chloe added, stepping behind the changing screen. "The Pagemaster and Sir Hugo referred to us as Sir and Lady. I suppose that makes us partially royal, does it not?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah, but I still have my doubts about this," he said uncertainly. "I mean, you and me, leading an entire army of fictional characters by ourselves? That's illogical."

"Since when do you worry about logic?" Chloe asked, poking her head from behind the screen. "I thought you weren't afraid to take risks."

"And I'm not," Richard replied defensively. "I'm only saying that I'm unsure about this battle. We're in the fiction land, where everything is possible. We're up against pretty big things when we talk about anything happening."

"True. But we also have the good forces of the fiction world at our advantage. I mean, think about it, Rich. We have wizards, unicorns, and brave soldiers fighting on our side of this battle. We don't have much to worry about. And in that case, we are having an adventure together. Do you know how long I've been waiting to do something like this?"

"How do you know you're not dreaming?"

"How can you talk so voluntarily and be able to realistically see what's happening around you?"

Richard gave her a thoughtful glance.

"Exactly," Chloe said, stepping out from the screen in her dress that left Richard speechless again.

"Well, you seemed a little scared earlier," Richard pointed out. "Did you have a sudden change of mind?"

Chloe almost rolled her eyes at Richard in annoyance. "I'd like it if you weren't so doubtful about this, Richard," she said, running her fingers through her strawberry hair like a comb. "Aren't you somewhat excited about having a real adventure inside the fantasy world of the imagination? You like books, don't you? It's every bookworm's dream to be here. Or are you really just some stupid jock that secretly thinks books are wastes of time?" Chloe's eyes looked like they were on fire they were so intensely locked on him. And for a moment, Richard was afraid that they would actually make his clothing go up in flames, there was so much power in her stare.

Richard cringed. He didn't like fighting with Chloe. She always found some way to get to him, and he was in no mood to prove any stupid point that would make him lose her- she was pretty much his best friend anyway. So he shook his head and turned to grab his clothes from his bed.

"All right, then," Chloe said. "Forget it. What we should focus on is hearing what the Pagemaster wants us to do, and we will do it. We won't let your stubbornness get in the way."

Richard shook his head, trying to focus more on buckling his belt tightly enough around his tunic. Chloe was right- now was not a time to be arguing when apparently there was an imaginary land in peril. And obviously, they were the only ones who were in the driver's seat, who could control it. If they were, and no one else would lead them there, they would have to accept it and take it one day at a time. But that didn't mean that Richard still couldn't have his own doubts about what would happen soon.

Still, if time was passing in the real world, then there was still a reason to worry. Not that Richard didn't care about what was happening in this crazy place, but he still felt he had to worry about how their possible disappearance could affect the others back home. He could already imagine it- his team playing without him because he mysteriously never showed up, the jealous players saying he was too chicken to stand up to the pressure of the championship; his parents desperately searching for him throughout the entire town, only to find him gone from the face of the earth! Not to mention that Richard and Chloe would miss finals, and the both of them would fail out of tenth grade and have to repeat it, if need be. Those dark premonitions haunted Richard as he dressed. It was true the idea of a fantastical adventure sounded neat, but not when there were uncertain things happening in the real world, far off from here. And besides, this was the literary world- anything could happen, and Richard didn't like not having control over what was at hand.

The sound of the trunk lid closing jolted Richard from his thoughts, the clasp clinking shut. Chloe stood by, her hair combed, her dress smoothed, and her cape fastened around her shoulders, looking the image of a storybook warrior princess; all that she lacked was a dagger or a bow to truly show it. "Come on, Rich. They're waiting for us," she said, walking towards the door. At last, Richard had managed to fasten his cape and joined Chloe as she walked out the door, shutting it behind them with a deep, heavy thud.

Chloe led them down the corridor, following a dark red carpet trimmed with gold and white embroidery made to look like book spines, until they came to a massive oak door, carved with images of books covered with vines intertwining each other, with snakes and doves crawling and flying between them. She pushed it forward, and it opened into a giant dining room, in which sat a long table that looked twice as long as the Mad Hatter's tea table. Laid out on the table was a giant feast, fit for a king. The Pagemaster sat at the far end of the table, dressed in his usual book-page robes.

"Welcome, my comrades," he said jollily, placing his hands high in the air like he was a priest welcoming the morning worshippers. "Please, sit down wherever you like."

Awkwardly, Richard sat down at the seat next to the Pagemaster, while Chloe took the one across from him. Chloe immediately began to dig into the feast, delicately placing forkful after forkful of strudel into her mouth while Richard took only a few bits of a cinnamon roll, curious to find out what the Pagemaster had in store for them before the gory battling was going to begin.

"I trust you both had a pleasant night's sleep?" the Pagemaster asked, gesturing towards the both of them in a friendly fashion.

"Yes, sir, we did," Chloe answered after a large swallow. "And thank you so much for these clothes, they are absolutely marvelous." Chloe ran her hand along the shiny silver silk in amazement again, and it shimmered like rippling water in the morning sunlight. All Richard could do was wriggle awkwardly in his tunic.

'I'm glad you do like them," the Pagemaster replied, smiling kindly at Chloe like she was his own granddaughter. Then, his expression drooped to serious. "Now then, there are some important things we must discuss before we start our day."

"Like what?" Chloe asked, sipping on a glass of milk.

"Well, the matter of your training, for one," the Pagemaster began. "If you will do the honor of leading us in this battle, you must learn to wield a blade or an arrow. Not to mention meeting the rest of your army and learning of your…"

The Pagemaster was cut off by the sounds of swords clanging outside the dining hall walls. The swords were followed by yelling and congratulatory shouts.

"Pardon the soldiers," the Pagemaster said. "They are very concentrated when they wield their weapons, and yet, they choose to make light heart of the situation at hand."

"Will we practice with them?" Chloe asked. "It'd be interesting to learn from someone like…Robin Hood!" She beamed.

"You certainly may, my dear," the Pagemaster said approvingly. "He'd be happy to teach you how to fire an arrow."

Chloe smiled widely, squealing under her breath. "I only hope Maid Marion doesn't mind." She giggled to herself, shrugging her shoulders to hide her laughter.

The Pagemaster shook his head gleefully at Chloe, while Richard stared down at the swirly brown of the cinnamon roll. Learning to wield a sword- that would be exciting; so would leading an army of fiction characters and possibly not surviving. But then again, when he thought about it, how hard could it be to lead an army when they had the powerful Pagemaster on their side, plus the great wizards and whatnot to help them? Richard easily remembered now what the Pagemaster could do with his powers, like simply creating a giant or a swirling twister of magic with a sweep of his hand or a flick of a page. Maybe that was just the tip of the iceberg- what if he could create whole worlds with his magic, or destroy whole numbers of people with just a wiggle of the nose or something like that? Richard hoped desperately that the Pagemaster was capable of such skills- it could also be their ticket home when this crazy war was over.

Chloe stood up from her chair, her excited grunt bringing Richard out from his thoughts. "Come on, Rich," she said, sweeping her cape elegantly around her. "Let's get down to business shall we?"

"Yeah, sure," Richard said, getting up.

"Stop by me anytime you wish," the Pagemaster added before disappearing before their eyes in a cloud of blue smoke and twinkly sparkles.

Chloe giggled. "Isn't he amazing?" she asked.

"If you mean in an old-manly wizard sort of way," Richard said, looking on in half-amazement.

With another sweep of her cape, Chloe grabbed Richard's hand and headed for the oak door that led out to the field where soldiers practiced their weapon-wielding skills.

Inside the room, two soldiers were fencing with each other, jabbing and parrying across the floor. At the corner, a young man dressed in green and brown from head to toe stood, instructing them.

"Robin Hood," Chloe breathed in amazement. Quickly, she ran a hand through her strawberry waves and dusted off her bell-sleeves, as though she were preparing to meet the Queen.

"Um, Mr. Robin Hood?" Richard called, hoping to get the great archer's attention.

The man glanced past the two archers and stood taller. "Oh, ahem, yes, how may I assist you?" he answered in a strong, brave voice.

"We would like to join you, and perhaps take practice in your lessons," Chloe replied, curtsying politely. Awkwardly, Richard followed her etiquette by bowing.

Robin Hood strode towards them, his quiver full of arrows clinking behind his shoulders. "I think it would be marvelous of you both to join me, but first, allow me to tell you my name. I am Robin Hood, or Robin of Loxley if you prefer," he said charmingly, holding out his hand.

"I'm Chloe, and this is Richard," Chloe said, gesturing towards herself and then towards Richard.

Robin Hood halted his hand as he reached for a hand-shake. "Wait a minute- Lady Chloe of Dewey and Sir Richard of Tyler?" he asked. Quickly, he removed his feathered hat and bowed low on his knees, his golden hair almost falling past his face onto his forehead. "It's an honor and a high privilege to meet you my fair lady and good sir." Then he took Chloe's hand and kissed it daintily, gazing deep into Chloe's field-green eyes. "His Pagemaster always told me that you were a beautiful one, my dear lady. You must have lines upon lines of men breaking your door down with proposals of love, am I right?" He winked flirtatiously at her, smiling.

Chloe giggled, clearly unable to resist the archer's charm. "I'm afraid not, Robin Hood," she answered, blushing as bright red as her hair. "I actually don't have many friends where I come from."

Robin Hood's expression grew horrified. "Well, whoever told you that you were a frightful hag will rue the very day he was born," he declared, puffing out his chest. Quick as a wink, he changed his expression, clearing his throat, and appearing like he was meeting a dear friend of his, instead of a newcomer. "Now, how about you, my good lord?" he asked. He turned to Richard, and with a firm grip, shook his hand.

"Good to meet you," Richard said, trying to sound polite.

"Pleasure is all mine," Robin Hood answered, smiling deeply. "You seem like a strong lad. Are you here to learn the fine arts of fencing and archery?"

"Yes, I am," Richard said, nodding.

"Very good, then, follow me." Robin Hood gestured for them to follow him, and he brought them into the field, next to a few targets.

"Now to start off, my lady, which art do you wish to learn?" Robin Hood asked Chloe.

Chloe frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe, archery?" she guessed.

The great archer then grabbed another bow and some arrows from his quiver. "Always carry around a spare," he explained with a quick wink and a smile.

With a careful movement, he handed the items to Chloe who studied them with fascination, like she was holding the Hope diamond in her hands, and she began to set herself up. She took off her cape and positioned her arms as Robin Hood showed her what to do.

Gradually with careful guidance, Robin Hood showed Chloe how to hold the bow and how to position the arrow. Chloe, however, having never shot an arrow a day in her life, had to undergo lots of practice shots. He even showed Richard a couple of maneuvers if in any case he would want to be a hunter. Richard immediately declined the hunter offer, but he was reluctant to learn to shoot an arrow.

Robin Hood soon decided to test Chloe, to see how much she had learned. He stepped back, taking Richard with him, and watched Chloe begin. She took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. She raised her bow until it was perpendicular with the ground. The arrow was straight as the horizon, and Chloe's elbow pulled back till her hand was right there with her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, glinting with the morning sun. Her body stood perfectly still, except for her hair and dress, which were wavering in the gentle breeze. Richard tensed as he watched her- she looked for a moment like she was ready to kill someone with her narrowed eyes and tense, tight limbs barely moving as she concentrated.

Quick as a flash, Chloe released her arrow. It went flying through the air, appearing like it would smack the target dead on with no mercy. However, it went sailing in a rainbow arc over the target, and landed diagonally in the grass.

"Very good, my lady," Robin Hood said, clapping his hands. "Good concentration, that's plain to see. However, you must always focus on your target as much as you are focusing on the direction of your arrow. Shall we continue?"

Chloe nodded, running to fetch her arrow. Her dress flew out like a flag as she ran, sparkling like stars on a clear summer night.

Robin Hood gazed after her. "A blooming lass she is, Lady Chloe," he said admiringly. "One does admire her so much- her beauty, her grace, her…her fascinating concentration on her target." With a slight laugh, he cleared his throat when he remembered Richard was standing next to him, and cracked his knuckles. "What's say we work on you, my boy?" Robin Hood offered, tightening his grip on his bow. "I believe you know what to do- you saw the girl."

Richard took a deep breath, mimicking Chloe. He pointed the arrow towards the target, focusing on hitting the arrow right at the small, round circle. He focused his eyes straight on the circle, letting go the moment that he had his eyes on the center of the circle.

The arrow flew gracefully through the air, but began to fumble towards the ground just before it could hit the target.

Robin Hood clapped his hands. "Very excellent form, my good sir," he praised. "Still, you must concentrate like this arrow will decide your fate. You must be the arrow, and focus with all you've got. You will be our leader, and a good leader never falters in his skills."

Richard was about to speak up, and complain that he was doing just that, when he stopped. He remembered what his coach had always said- "There is a key to success in sports, and it is called taking and following advice." He knew too well how many times the coach would stress that during practices. But, did archery really count as a sport when you were preparing for a battle?

Chloe stepped forth. "Suppose we shall continue?" she asked curtly.

"We most certainly may, my darling," Robin Hood said, brandishing his bow. "Lead the way."

Chloe smiled and reached for another arrow.

Richard did the same, following Chloe's every move. Unfortunately, archery was one of the few things he couldn't grasp as quickly as he liked. Holding the bow straight and keeping the arrow still while aiming at a target was difficult enough with Chloe shooting arrows like they were hair elastic sling-shots quicker than he was. Richard tried to imagine that he was just having a lesson at some lousy summer camp to lighten his mood, but every time he succeeded in doing so, another one of Chloe's arrows shot past him.

Chloe was having a good time with practice. Maybe it was because Robin Hood was being so helpful- if helpful meant flirting with her and telling her stories of his days in the crusades alongside King Richard himself more than helping her. Richard found that laughable- maybe the Pagemaster would expect to make him a king after this battle. He sighed heavily in frustration as Robin Hood told Chloe another story. Chloe's gleeful laughter and Robin Hood's macho chuckle annoyed Richard as he tried to concentrate on the target. He bit his lip in concentration enough that it drew blood.

"Get down!" Richard suddenly heard Robin Hood shout.

As he turned around to see what was happening, Robin Hood grabbed Richard's arm and pulled him to the ground as overhead, fiery arrows zipped faster than bullets. Richard peeked around his protector's arm, and noticed the arrows coming from the sky, as black shadows swirled overhead. They made whooshing sounds like wind through a hollow cave as they passed.

"What's happening?" Chloe and Richard asked at the same time.

"They've come back!" Their question was answered when Sir Hugo ran outside to spot the shadowy attackers. Quickly, he raised a large conch-shell-like horn and blew into it. A loud battle fanfare rang out and from far-off, Richard heard the sounds of armor and horses.

Robin Hood leapt from the ground and raised his bow. "Take cover, both of you!" he commanded. "This will be dangerous."

"I'm not going anywhere now!" Chloe said, raising her bow.

"I mean it!" Robin Hood added sharply as the shadows came closer. But he barely made a move when one of them flew straight into his stomach and knocked him to the ground. He landed back-first against a tree and was still for a moment.

"No!" Chloe shouted, drawing an arrow from the ground. Quickly, she raised the arrow to her bow, and prepared to fire. But she was having trouble straightening the arrow with the bowstring and getting it ready to let fly. And one of the dark shadows was coming towards her.

Richard grabbed a sword from beside him, and grunted as he held the five-pound weapon in his hands. His heart pounding to a hum, he raised the sword to vanquish the shadow before it could touch Chloe. And when the shadow came closer, he brought it down at the same instant there was a bright burst of light and a loud _pop_, only like a tiny explosion.

When the sound stopped reverberating in his ears, Richard opened his eyes and noticed that the shadow was gone, and Chloe was unscathed. The both of them looked at where the shadow used to be in shock, then finally at each other. For a long moment, they just stood there, wondering what in the heck had happened.

"What the…?" Richard started.

They both turned when they heard Sir Hugo and an army of Pages come riding up into the clearing.

"The shadows!" Sir Hugo shouted. "Prepare to fire!"

As the shadows continued to fly, Richard and Chloe made ready to attack. But as one came down again, Richard raised his sword to destroy it, but it…just…_disappeared_ before he could even touch it.

Richard's sword came down with a crash, but it wasn't half as loud as the gasps of the army and the explosive popping sound again.

In shock, Richard turned and saw Chloe crouching in self-defense, with one hand held out, palm facing forward. Her eyes were shut tight, and every one of the shadows were gone.

"Men," Sir Hugo whispered, "get the Pagemaster. I believe that a Proverb has returned."


	11. The Proverbs

_**Chapter 11**_

Moments later, Sir Hugo hurried through the doors of the throne room, a confused Richard and Chloe following behind him. Sir Hugo skittered over to the Pagemaster's throne and bowed quickly, like he was nervous about this piece of news.

The Pagemaster looked down at Sir Hugo, a concerned expression on his face. "Dear books, what is it, Sir Hugo?" he asked.

"Your High Pageness," Sir Hugo gasped, pointing a finger at the confused teenagers behind him. "Outside, at the targets…I…Robin Hood…shadows…and then, that girl- she, she stopped…"

Gently, the Pagemaster stepped down from his throne and laid a hand on Sir Hugo's shoulder like he was a son of his. "Calm yourself, good Sir Hugo. Now, please tell me. What has happened?"

Sir Hugo took a breath, but he still spoke quickly and nervously. "The shadows returned! They came here, and attacked Robin Hood, and our new lord and lady! Both of them fought bravely, but the girl- that girl- stopped them! With just a raise of her hand!"

Chloe looked on at Sir Hugo, as confused as being given a test without first notice. What had she done to stop the shadows from attacking her? All she had done was just imagine that they would disappear and go away. What did she, or Richard, have anything to do with the shadows' defeat?

The Pagemaster gazed past Sir Hugo and at Chloe. His expression was unreadable, so she was unsure what he was thinking. Finally, he raised his arm and beckoned Chloe to come forward. When she did, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye, serious but gentle.

"Seeing as you saw this entire scene, recount everything you remember happening," the Pagemaster said, his voice having the same tone as his eyes.

Chloe took a deep breath, and told the Pagemaster what she could remember- the attack, and how she had imagined the disappearance of the shadows. "But, tell me, what does that have to do with any of this? You actually think that…_I _did that?"

The Pagemaster nodded his head. "My dear girl, those shadows would not give up without a fight. They wouldn't go away without a command or unless they were faced with inevitable defeat. However, you told me that they disappeared in the midst of a magical popping sound. That only gives us two answers to this event- that a villain has come into our midst, or something even more powerful and monumental than anything." In the Pagemaster's eyes, Chloe could suddenly see a subtle excitement, like an idea had come to him. But instead of speaking further, he rose from his throne and raised his arm.

"Richard, Chloe, the both of you stay with me. Sir Hugo, thank you for telling me this. This recent event may have granted us a further step in preventing this battle from destroying us." At his dismissal, Sir Hugo bowed and walked past Richard from the room. Richard walked up to the throne, and the Pagemaster produced a seat for him out of one of his robe pages. When he and Chloe were seated, the Pagemaster gathered them in a circle.

"What's this all about?" Richard asked. "What has Chloe done?"

"There is nothing to fear, Richard," the Pagemaster answered. "Chloe has not done anything to worry about. What she has done is something that might just bring the odds into our favor. More than you could believe. Listen closely to me, because this is important."

Richard and Chloe leaned in, Chloe starting to play with her hair skittishly.

"You both know about me, and my Pages," he began. "Of course, they are important people to the Binding Order and the rest of this world, but there are three select people in the Order that serve as my advisors, and my seconds-in-command, called the Proverbs.

"Each Proverb has a special ability that enables them control over the rest of this world when I am absent. The first, has the power of the Mind. This means the ability to read minds, and simply to read people like an open book. The second, has the power of the Books. This person can summon only specific objects and people out of a book by pointing to the words in a book. It's a vital ability, but it's not quite the most powerful of the Proverbs. Which brings me to you, Chloe.

"The final Proverb has the power of the Imagination. This ability really has no limits, and that is why it is so vast and powerful. The person must merely imagine something happening in their mind, and that which they imagine shall be conjured. Even the most abstract and strange of events can occur, and, utmost amazing to state- the most dangerous. With just the right heart and imagination, the very universe could be destroyed with merely a thought. Fortunately, such a large feat takes much concentration and courage to make happen. And the Proverbs are all good people. Nonetheless, such a power can only be given to a special person who has the courage and the responsibility to control such a massive capability of changing the world."

Chloe stared at the Pagemaster in amazement. She was starting to have just the slightest disbelief in what the Pagemaster was telling her. "You're…you're not saying that I could be…a _Proverb_?"

"Then please," the Pagemaster prompted. "Put your imagination to the test. See what you can imagine for me." He looked at Chloe with anticipation, and when she didn't do anything, he put a hand on her shoulder again. "Don't be afraid, Chloe. Even a mortal's imagination has no limits to what they can conjure."

Chloe stood up from her seat and took a deep breath, muttering an "okay" to herself. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on taking deep breaths.

For several seconds, nothing happened. Richard feared for a second that maybe the Pagemaster's hopes had been dashed. He prepared to console the Pagemaster and tell him that Chloe was not who he thought she was. But when he was about to open his mouth to speak, he could suddenly only open his mouth to stare in shock.

There, in the middle of the room, was a simple, black book. But then, in an explosive _pop_,there appeared two. And then there came three. Then four, and five…the books were accumulating in a pile big enough to cover the carpet there.

In surprise, Richard glanced to Chloe, whose eyes were still shut in concentration. Then, he looked back at the Pagemaster, who looked just as shocked as Richard did, but he looked as though he was witnessing a miracle. And as Richard saw it, he was- they both were!

Then Chloe opened her eyes, and the books stopped accumulating in the room. When she saw the pile there, she stumbled back into her chair and just stared at the books.

"I…don't…believe it!" she gasped, breathing deeply. She flicked her gaze to the Pagemaster, who only nodded.


	12. The Lost One

_**Chapter 12**_

"No way! This is too amazing!"

Richard was lying on his bed, while Chloe stood in front of the mirror, imagining new clothes for herself, new books for the shelves, even changing her eyes and hair color once in a while.

She twirled like a little girl in a dress-up game, grinning widely. "I guess it's too bad Cinderella's fairy godmother couldn't do all this at the think of a thought." She chuckled, and finally changed her clothes back to the way they were.

Richard didn't listen to Chloe laugh, or watch her play with her new power. He certainly thought it was cool that Chloe's new power might give them a bypass in this battle- if she could just imagine things to happen, then it would be over by the next week- but something was making the back of his brain hurt, and he was trying hard to figure it out. Even though the excessive popping sounds of Chloe's magic stopped, he wasn't having much more luck in figuring his mental puzzle.

Turning away from the mirror, Chloe ran her hands through her hair, and collapsed onto her own bed. "Geez Rich, several hours later, and it still feels like it's all happening too fast! You know I…" She stopped talking when she noticed Richard's thoughtful expression, turning to lean on her arm and look at him. "Richard, what is it? What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," he replied. "It's just- something the Pagemaster said makes me feel like I might know who the other Proverbs might be. That thing about reading minds, reading people like open books…" His expression lightened when he began to realize something, the answer unfolding before him. "Wait…'I have a talent…for…for guessing…what…'"

Chloe looked at Richard with the same confused expression. "What are you saying?"

"I'm trying to remember," Richard replied, exasperated with himself for not remembering the rest of the phrase he was talking about. The least he could remember was that he had heard it in the same library they were inside of, and then…something that…something…something that Mr. Dewey might have…

At last, Richard shut his eyes in total defeat, and slumped against the mattress. What was so important about this stuff anyhow? Was it so crucial that he try to remember this? The most important and powerful Proverb- Chloe- was here, so why would they need the others? But then, maybe now that one was found, the Pagemaster would press that the other Proverbs be found. And Richard was so close to figuring the rest of the phrase he recalled…

"…talent for guessing what people need!" Chloe suddenly stated loudly.

The moment she mentioned it, Richard felt a rushing river of memories instantly come flowing through him. The rush brought him out of his reverie and he sat up, quickly enough that his head began to rush feverishly. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten. What Chloe had finished was one of the first things that Mr. Dewey had mentioned to him when Richard first walked into the library. But, a talent for guessing what people needed? Did that mean…?

"Yes, that's it, isn't it?" Chloe asked. "Oh, wow. I cannot believe I never realized this. Richard, I think that…"

"Mr. Dewey was a Proverb?"

"Yes! The one with the power of the Mind! All right, that's two Proverbs found. Now, who's the last one, with the power of the Books?"

Richard shrugged. He didn't know someone who could just open a book and bring its contents to life like the last Proverb could. Maybe it was Sir Hugo. Then again, he couldn't- he was the Pagemaster's messenger, and couldn't possibly be that, and a Proverb. Maybe even Robin Hood could be a Proverb- he had the bravery and the nerve to stand up against evil, despite how annoying he could be during archery practice. But could a storybook character be a Proverb too?

Chloe did the same, and lay back against her pillow. She sighed deeply and turned over. Closing her eyes, her night clothes appeared on her, and her dress appeared again, hanging over the changing screen. I guess I'll have to get used to this, Richard thought.

"Who knows who the last Proverb could be," Chloe sighed. "Oh well, might just have to find out when we make our first raid into the woods soon enough. One thing's for sure, though- when we do find the Proverb, this battle will be one step closer to finishing, and we can restore the peace. Together, you, me, and the Proverb will be unstoppable against those shadows and the rest of the villains that dare come near us. Maybe we might just rescue some…damsel in…distress…in a white dress…and…" With one final sigh, she shut her eyes, and drifted into sleep. "Night, Rich."

Richard stood up from his bed and crossed the room to the changing screen to get into his night clothes. Throwing his cape and shirt over the screen to hang till morning, he then took a breath and blow out the candle near the screen. Quickly, he crossed back to his bed, and crawled under the covers, his mind not on sleep, but on the raid that Chloe mentioned.

Just after they had discovered that Chloe was the Imagination Proverb, the Pagemaster had asked Robin Hood to keep up his lessons with Richard and Chloe for the next few days, to prepare for a raid into the forest beyond the Pagemaster's palace. During the raid, they would scout around for any villains and their accomplices. They would listen for discussions or suspicious sounds, and look for objects that might just lead them to further plans the villains had for war. Sir Hugo informed them also that this scout would be especially vital, because now that the most powerful Proverb had been found, they would have to scout out whatever they could to see that no villain spy had found out the news. Richard and Chloe would be accompanied by Sir Hugo and a dog to help them sniff or hear out anyone suspicious in the woods. Anyone who already knew of Chloe's ability would be taken prisoner and only released when the battling was said and done, and when they would agree to be neutral between the heroes and villains. Richard was nervous for what might happen, although he hoped that Chloe's power wouldn't fail them on their journey. Sir Hugo said they were traveling very far, and would not return for several days.

Chloe was excited though, because finding the Books Proverb would only improve their chances of winning the battle. She seemed anxious to find someone with a similar ability to her, maybe because she would not be alone in handling the magical ordeals that would take place during battle. Although, somehow Richard doubted that the Proverb would be found, because that was not the main focus of their journey. They would be lucky enough to scout out any villains at all, but finding the third Proverb along the way, that would be amazing.

If they did find the third Proverb, they might just come out alive.


	13. Jip

_**Chapter 13**_

It was early in the morning a few days later, when Richard and Chloe were awakened by a banging at their door.

"Come along, both of you," Sir Hugo's voice said from behind the door. "Come, quickly now!"

"We're coming, Sir Hugo!" Chloe said sleepily from underneath her covers. With a loud yawn, she rose from her bed, pushing the covers away from her. Closing her eyes again, she made her white dress appear on her, and with that, she got up and stood by her bed, yawning and stretching her arms. Richard, on the other hand, just dove right back into his covers and groaned.

Chloe sighed and pushed Richard around in his bed. "Wake up, Richard, come on!" she said. "You heard Sir Hugo! Get up!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh!" Richard threw the covers off of him and got up slowly. Mechanically, he proceeded to step behind the changing screen and got into his shirt, pants, boots, and cape. Chloe stayed where she was and while she stared at the changing screen waiting, the covers on both her and Richard's beds magically made themselves, finishing with two magical _pops_.

"Wait up for me, Chloe!" Richard called, having heard the popping sounds.

"I'm not going anywhere," Chloe answered. "But Sir Hugo might be if you don't shake a leg now. Do I have to shake it for you?"

"You're not doing anything to me with that power of yours!" Richard commanded sourly.

"I'm getting ready to close my eyes…" Chloe stretched her words tauntingly, and grinned, hiding a laugh. "And imagine…"

"Don't you dare…!"

"Here we go…"

Richard scrambled out from behind the screen, with his clothes on, although his cape was askew on his shoulders and his shirt was half buttoned.

"You didn't even close your eyes!" He pointed an accusing finger at Chloe.

"Oh, shake it off, Rich!" Chloe said. "Lighten up a little. Okay, this scout is really important and we'll need for you to not be a sour-plum the entire way. If it makes you feel any better, there probably won't be any fighting or killing."

"Are you so sure?" Richard was skeptical of Chloe's statement. He could see uncertainty beneath her mask of confidence.

"Look, anyway, if there ever is any fighting, the heroes always win. Just don't get your pants in a twist over this. The last thing any of us need is for you to get tense in tight pants in the middle of listening to some villain's conspiracy discussion."

"That's not funny," Richard said.

Chloe shook her head and smiled. "My point is to just do what Sir Hugo tells us to do, and don't do anything reckless or stupid."

"Won't happen, I swear." Richard nodded his head.

"Very good. Now, let's go!" Chloe smiled bravely and pointed towards the door. She marched out, Richard right behind her, and greeted a sour-faced Sir Hugo, with a maid in a book-page dress right behind him.

He folded his arms. "Good to see that the both of you decided to wake up before sunrise." He gestured towards the maid behind him, and then towards Richard and Chloe. They walked down the hallway, and took several more again before coming to the dining room. The table was empty save for a tiny breakfast laid out for them. The maid invited Richard and Chloe to sit down, and they ate their breakfast to their heart's desire. Richard perked up greatly after he had a morning helping of the cinnamon rolls and apple juice. Come to think of it, he suspected that if everyone in the world ate the exact cinnamon rolls every day, then morning tire and frustration would be gone like the dodo bird.

The plates were cleared away when they were through, and Sir Hugo stood before Richard and Chloe as though they were a whole line of soldiers awaiting command. He reached behind his back, and magically produced an armful of supplies. Sir Hugo bowed, saluted, and led Richard and Chloe down the hall towards the practice grounds where they would make their way into the forest, but not before handing Chloe a bow and quiver full of arrows, and Richard a sheath that carried a long, silver sword with a golden swirly handle.

Once again, Sir Hugo stood erect and saluted. "Long live the Pagemaster!" he said.

Richard and Chloe repeated his actions, and were about to begin walking into the forest, when Sir Hugo abruptly whistled.

From not too far off, there was a low barking, and then a large fluffy dog with long, golden hair came bounding towards Sir Hugo. The dog sat down, and nodded his head.

"That's a good dog, Jip old boy," Sir Hugo said, patting the dog's head. "You know what to do."

"Yes sir, right away."

Richard and Chloe simultaneously gasped at the voice that came from nowhere. But, then, it didn't just come from nowhere.

The dog turned to them, and opened his mouth to pant. "Oh, hello, old chaps. Name's Jip, at your good service."

"Jip?" Chloe asked. "Hold on. The Jip from _Doctor Dolittle_?"

"Sadly, my dear master is helping sick animals away in the woods with those gone-bad villains. Couldn't bring his best friend along. Said it was too dangerous. But, still, yep, that's me all right."

Chloe bent down, and held out her hand. "Can you shake?"

"Sure as treats are a dog's favorite dinner, yep, yep." Jip nodded his head and then shook Chloe's hand.

Richard didn't move. He was too preoccupied staring at the gleeful dog.

"Wait. I thought you could only talk if someone could understand animals," Richard said skeptically.

"Any old man can understand me here," Jip answered, thumping his tail for emphasis. "At least, not any good thing that isn't human or animal."

"Even those evil shadows?" Richard blurted.

Jip snapped his head up at Richard. "'Even those evil shadows?' The shadows couldn't tell dog from cat-talk if they tried for eternity. But if we do so happen to hop across one of them, I'd leave the talking to someone else if I were you."

"Yeah, we'll remember," Richard answered.

"I'm not so good at talking to shadows, but I surely can smell them out," Jip added, sticking his nose to the ground, sniffing. "You two just had breakfast. I can smell the very sugar and vanilla on your skin. Wait! There's even a touch of lemon somewhere in that pancake!"

"Wow, you can really smell that?" Chloe asked in awe. "That's a talent."

"You think I can smell _that _deep?" Jip challenged. "I've been trained to smell out those shadows and any other villains from miles away. Take it from years of smelling out crooks with Dolittle himself." Jip stood proudly and grinned a wide, toothy grin.

"Good making with the pleasantries, old boy," Sir Hugo praised. "Now, come. We must be hurrying along on our mission."

"Hugo tells me we are going on a mission," Jip repeated. "I'd like not to taste some shadows on my tongue for sport, but for my masters, I shall do it!"

"You must be very loyal," Chloe said, scratching Jip behind the ears.

"More than you could ever think to think," Jip answered. "You know, I like the both of you already. Think you can take care of me while we are out?"

Chloe answered by massaging the fur on top of Jip's head. He panted eagerly as Sir Hugo gave the dog a good tug on his collar and hurried them into the woods.

The woods were beautiful, full of wildlife and magical flowers that bloomed to reveal books hiding beneath their petals. When the books fluttered in the breeze like butterflies, Jip would glance up to sniff them but he never faltered in his task of keeping his nose to the ground. Sir Hugo kept his eyes straight ahead, never pausing to look back at Richard and Chloe while they walked. By this time, Chloe had picked some of the flowers and put them in her hair. She looked like a pretty maiden with the breeze toying with her dress and the flowers tucked behind her ears. Richard could only look ahead, and sometimes grasp his sword hilt to assure himself it was still there.

As they walked, Richard also found that he was beginning to remember quite a bit about this place. Although, he was having a hard time placing which part of the library they could be in. The surroundings gave no indication whatsoever, but he liked to imagine that they were in the fantasy section, because everything was so neat and pretty. Still, he didn't see a ghost or a fairy or anything to identity this place as.

"Hey, Sir Hugo," he called. "What part of the library are we in?"

"What part?" Sir Hugo answered. "Why, boy, we're still smack dab in the middle of the place- the rotunda. It's the Pagemaster's kingdom. He resides in not just one section but all of them. Otherwise, we'd be in a much bigger binding than we are now."

"I've heard of civil wars before," Jip said. "But this doesn't make sense. Don't the villains know that the Prince wasn't murdered by the mortals? Most of them are such nice people- far as I've heard. Doctor says that they should be if they are at least kind enough to pick up our stories."

"Suppose you'd like to think so, wouldn't you," Chloe added. "But villains' minds can't be changed once they're made. That much I've figured out."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Sir Hugo said. "A villain's character and mind are written for evil. They think of nothing but evil things, and will do anything to gain their power even after their stories are out of print. Simply had to put the blame for the great Prince's death on something."

"Nutsy people," Jip agreed.

Sir Hugo glanced back at Richard, who jumped when he suddenly faced him. "Keeping up the pace back there, are you boy?"

"Just fine," Richard replied.

"Good. Just keep your eye on the girl and we'll be fine. The very last thing we need is for someone to…"

"Wait!" Jip was suddenly on high alert, his fur standing on end like porcupine needles. "I smell something. And it doesn't smell like book-giving daffodils…"


	14. Inside the Jungle

_**Chapter 14**_

Jip followed his nose into a thick bunch of tall brush not too far away from the company. Sir Hugo followed the dog, walking on tip toes so as not to disturb Jip, whose senses were now working in overtime.

"What is it?" Richard asked, holding his sword hilt in one hand. "What do you smell?" Chloe turned and harshly shushed him as Jip inched closer into the brush.

"Follow me," Jip said. "We're going deep into the forest. Keep the girl close to you, lad." With that, he disappeared behind the brush altogether, followed by Sir Hugo, and finally by Richard who took Chloe's hand as they walked through.

The brush hid an entirely different place to the company. The trees were tall redwoods, their branches making a thick canopy over the forest with enormous green leaves. Sounds came from all around- the cawing of birds, the rustle of trees, and the low rumble of a far off roar. The ground was moist and mossy, enough to sink into. Everything in this new place was damp and smelly, but it was teeming with wildlife, even more than the old forest. Several colorful plants sprouted around them, and occasionally, Chloe was frightened by a lizard leaping from here to there, or a large black flower sprouting a weedy, gnarly book. She dared not touch them, for surely they were poisoned.

The farther they walked into this jungle, the darker it got, and soon enough, they were arming for any possible danger. Several minutes passed, and still Jip was sniffing for his suspect. He had to trample a few flowers with his paws, and shove aside a few slimy frogs, but he never stopped sniffing.

Again, Richard asked, "What is it, Jip?"

"Closer…closer…" Jip could only utter those words as they walked further. But suddenly, he stopped altogether, and turned around. "It's changed course."

"What has?" Richard asked nervously.

"The thing," Jip whispered, a little skittish himself. He then walked in a circle to the left. Then he went to the right, and again to the left.

"What are you doing?" Sir Hugo wanted to know.

"It's toying with us," Jip answered. "I can feel it…"

With a loud crash, something leapt from the bushes and pounced at the group. Richard and Chloe scattered, and Jip jumped out of the way with a squeaky yelp. Sir Hugo jumped also and drew his sword.

From a few feet away, with their weapons drawn, Richard and Chloe now saw what had attacked them. A lean tiger was standing still, its paws hard on the ground as though ready to pounce again. It glanced all around, looking confused, but then, slowly, its face evolved into a sly grin.

"Surprised to see me?" it asked. Its voice was deep and charismatic, but it leaked with a sly power that should be avoided, like the sound of a looming thunderstorm.

"Are you…?" Chloe started to ask.

"Shere Khan, to be precise, little lass," he said, turning to look at her.

Chloe, who became tense with fear, straightened her arrow at the sly tiger. It didn't seem to have any effect on Shere Khan, because he kept moving towards her and Richard, who had his sword drawn further in front of him. Behind Shere Khan, Jip was standing ready to pounce, his teeth bared. Sir Hugo had his sword drawn, both hands on the hilt.

"'Tis rather good to see you, point of fact," Shere Khan said. "I was just in need of some good company, and then I hear the footsteps of humans and a little pooch pup, and then here you come. I thought that maybe that might never ever happen." He shook his head and kept the grin, although Chloe and Richard could tell that the tiger probably didn't have an afternoon outing with them in mind.

"Don't try to fool us with flattery, foolish cat," Sir Hugo said, pulling his sword back. "We know who you are." Jip emphasized those words with a low growl.

Shere Khan turned around and smiled slyly at Jip. "Your name, pup?"

Jip didn't answer. He just stayed where he was and kept his teeth bared. Finally, he said, "I don't answer to kitty cats." Then, he peered past Shere Khan's face and towards his hind legs. "If I'm not mistaken, you probably have a lame leg. That's not going to do you any good, then, is it?" He smiled playfully.

Shere Khan was still for a moment, but then he leapt from the ground and onto Jip, with a startling quickness that caused the rest of the company to jump back, still poised to attack. Jip yelped, and Shere Khan growled. Chloe cried out to Jip in fear, but her call went unanswered.

"You have good spirit for a pup," Shere Khan said, "even enough to address me in the name of my silly mother's nickname for me." He pressed his jaws closer to Jip's neck, cursing and growling, and then opened them like he was going to bite down on the poor dog like a vampire. "But you won't have any spirit in a matter of seconds."

From watching the scene, Richard could see that Jip wanted to yelp from fright, but the expression on the trapped dog's face indicated that he did not want to further provoke the monstrous tiger. Jip only kept very still, and tried to accept his fate by not moving and keeping his eyes closed.

"Hey, Lame One!" Chloe suddenly called out.

Quick as lightning, Shere Khan whipped around and just as quickly charged at Chloe, roaring in monstrous fury. As he came upon her, Chloe fired her arrow, hitting the tiger square in the shoulder. Unfortunately, Shere Khan quickly regained himself, and tore the arrow from his skin with his teeth. He spit the arrow aside like it was a piece of rotted goose flesh, and turned on Chloe again, charging at her quickly enough that she didn't have time to fire again.

Chloe ran, and Shere Khan came after her. She was quick, but the tiger was slowly growing quicker. Richard and Sir Hugo prepared to meet Shere Khan with their swords, standing next to a nearby tree.

"On my signal, you slice at the tiger," Sir Hugo directed as Chloe ran towards them.

When she passed, Sir Hugo gave a cry, and he and Richard brought their swords down at the same time to get Shere Khan. He dodged them easily, and continued after Chloe.

Jip was the next tactic in defeating the tiger. He charged after them with a speed that surprised Richard as he kept to the tree for another blow if they came near again. When Jip came up to Shere Khan closely enough, he opened his mouth gaping wide, and bit down on the tiger's leg. Shere Khan yelped loudly, and slowed down a little, while Jip led Chloe to safety.

"Get out of here, lady," Sir Hugo called to her. "This tiger is man's work!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Chloe yelled as she prepared to fire another arrow. Then she fired, this time hitting the tiger in the back, where he couldn't reach. She used this chance to run to Richard and Sir Hugo.

She brought them behind a tree, hidden from sight, while Jip made a second attempt to bring down Shere Khan. He ran in a circle, listening to the loud roar of the tiger ringing in his ears, but the dog was not afraid. He took a second circle, trying the tiger's test of dizziness. Jip took a third circle for good measure, and then he leapt around to raise his claws. He jumped at Shere Khan, his claws in front of him. But Shere Khan met him with the same velocity and movement, and the two met in a fight that circled throughout the trees. Fur flew and roars tried to overcome barks, but Jip stayed strong against the large tiger.

"Jip!" Chloe called out. "Keep fighting. We'll help you!"

Richard followed her signal by flinging a softball-sized rock at the tiger when the fight started to break up. The rock broke into pieces against Shere Khan's skull, and that stunned him down just enough for Jip to push the tiger into a circle of jungle surrounded by brush.

Chloe closed her eyes and imagined a great fire on the tip of her arrow. A spark lit on the head, and it flared hotly. Aiming for the brush, Chloe fired, and the arrow landed square inside it. The brush, like the arrow, erupted in a volcano of sparks, and the fire spread quickly. Chloe ran around the brush and whistled for Jip, who came running with a heavy pant.

The company watched as the fire spread around the trapped Shere Khan, who roared in defeat. His roars were soon lost to the roaring of the flames, which spread through and around the brush faster than they expected.

"Let's get out of here!" Jip said urgently, jumping nervously on his front paws.

"Good idea," Richard added as they turned to go further into the jungle.

Unfortunately, the fire was still spreading, traveling further into the trees and brush, crackling and roaring for something more to devour. The group had to walk faster as the flames licked at their heels. Jip yelped as the heat touched his coat.

Chloe looked down at Jip, and massaged his back. "You doing all right, Jip?" she asked him.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks," he answered. "But we should go faster, if you don't mind. The smoke could do bad things to us if we want to keep going on this mission we have."

"He's right," Sir Hugo agreed. "This fire is spreading quickly, so we must leave this jungle."

"And how do we do that?" Richard wondered aloud. "It looks like it doesn't end for miles around."

Jip grunted at the sound of walking through the jungle much longer. "And with all those kitties around here, we could be in…"- he shivered, and his fur stood on end again- "…more danger than we think."

"Don't be a coward, old boy," Sir Hugo scolded. "I believe we can withstand the danger. Though, I do wish that there was a quicker way out. The jungle could be as boundless as the imagination itself…" Sir Hugo stopped midsentence, as though a new thought had come to him. And it did. "You know…"

"What? You know something?" Richard pressed anxiously.

"We are still inside the rotunda of the library," Sir Hugo explained. "If young lady Chloe could imagine us out of this jungle, her magic shall bend the natural forces of the rotunda, and we might just find our way out."

"The natural forces?" Richard asked.

"Yes. The rotunda is where all sections come together, and is the most powerful place in the imagination. Any genre, any character, any_thing_ is possible, and is in the very center of the imagination- the core, if you will, my boy. If this young lady can bend the thousands of natural forces that dwell in it, then we can more than likely escape this place. With power that unlimited, she can also make things disappear, create life out of thin air, and even create whole other worlds far away. But mind you, bending the magic that way- appearing from place to place- can only work in the rotunda. In any other genre, her power shall be limited to merely conjuring pure simple objects."

"Sir Hugo, will it really?" Chloe said, her eyes lighting up.

"Course, my lady," he said. "Shall you do that for us?"

Chloe nodded her head, and immediately, Sir Hugo ordered for the group to take hands, and let Chloe perform her magic. When they did, she shut her eyes, and there was suddenly a moment of darkness. From the void came a blast of light and color, and when the popping sound reverberated through the space, the group found themselves surrounded by a disintegrating cloud of colorful lasers and sparkling balls that fell to the ground.

And to Richard's surprise, when he pressed his foot, it didn't sink into the ground like quicksand.

"Chloe, you did it!" he said.

In surprise, Chloe looked around, and her mouth opened wide when she noticed that she had taken them out of the jungle, and into a grassy valley with grey snow-capped mountains beyond.

Sir Hugo bowed before Chloe. "You, my lady, are a savior, and truly the Proverb of the Imagination."

Chloe grinned and looked ahead. The valley was open and green, tall weeds bending in the wind. Its perimeter was surrounded by green trees that sprouted forest-green books, like in the forest. She took several steps forward, and almost fell over when she stepped to the ledge of a tall cliff that stood tall over the rest of the valley.

Richard, Sir Hugo, and Jip stepped up beside her.

"Did you ever see anything more astounding before?" Sir Hugo asked, admiring the spectacle.

"Never," Chloe answered. "I never dreamed to see something so beautiful in the literary world either."

Richard and Jip chuckled. "And probably never will in your absolutely dizziest ones," Jip said. "But, now I'm even sadder Doctor couldn't stay with us. His parrot, Polynesia, would love to fly in space this open."

Sir Hugo shook his head. "It truly surprises me this place is in such good condition," he murmured. "This is the battlefield where our smaller battles have been fought. The grass and trees have been ravaged, and yet they continue to flourish as though it's eternal spring. Peaseblossom and the fairies must come here sometimes."

"Who?" Richard asked, but then he remembered. Peaseblossom was a fairy from _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. She and the other fairies liked to make things pretty and full of springtime. But did it count that theatrical characters were living in a fictional world?

In fact, down in the valley, Richard and Chloe could suddenly see tiny balls of sparkling dust come into view. Wherever the balls went, green grass and flowers grew, appearing like magic.

"Fairies!" Jip exclaimed. "I don't believe it! Real fairies!"


	15. Long Day's End

_**Chapter 15**_

"Don't get overexcited, old boy," Sir Hugo warned gently. "The fairies can be easily scared away, especially when a little dog like you can just as easily crush them."

"I wouldn't harm a fly," Jip reassured him. "Much less a fairy."

"Just don't lose your head," Sir Hugo said as the fairies flew upwards. One little pink fairy was leading them. She had long red hair, like Chloe's, and her eyes were large and pink as well. Everything about her glowed bright pink in the afternoon sun, and she trailed a cloud of pixie dust in her wake.

"Oh, what face comes to eye! Sir Hugo!" The fairy curtsied in her pink dress, and grinned from ear-to-ear.

Sir Hugo bowed back. "Good to see you too, Peaseblossom. Cobweb"- he acknowledged a fairy dressed in grays and silvers- "and Mustardseed" –an extremely tiny fairy decked out in yellows and browns. Sir Hugo also nodded towards two other fairies behind the three leaders- the two fairies that had no names in the play. "I trust you came to care for the field."

"Every hour till eternity," Peaseblossom answered. "But, soft. Dost my sight deceive me? What mysterious angel and prince do I see?"

"I'm Chloe, and this is Richard," Chloe said, nodding her head to acknowledge the fairies.

"Lady and Lord of the Binding Order," Sir Hugo added. "Need I mention that young lady Chloe is also the Proverb of the Imagination?"

Peaseblossom's eyes went wide as saucers and almost immediately, she fluttered to the ground, and the other fairies followed her. She practically threw herself on the ground, hard enough that if her delicate wings had not caught her, she would have broken all her bones.

"Good angel, to thee, we owe our very lives. May the kind saints bless thee with the morrow of a blessed queen!"

"Oh, you're all very sweet, but I don't think…"

"But O lady, thy name says all," Mustardseed interrupted. "Only but a Proverb can be high among fictional men. Thou hast the power and immortal beauty…"

Cobweb flew before the other fairies, her grey eyes solemn and dark. "But endure ungodly news she must."

"What do you mean?" Richard asked. "Is something going to happen?"

"Naught but what we hear and see, good lord," Cobweb answered. "All the land we see, every hour. But not all is bright, we fear. Some villain men claimed the forest their own- for the quantity of ungodly hours we know not. Thus we advise- do not travel through the forest beyond in the absence of an escort."

Richard frowned uncertainly. "Wait. You aren't saying that…villains are inside the forests right now?"

"That and nothing more," Mustardseed clarified. "Cobweb speaks the honest truth, I be frank. They have taken the forest prisoner, infiltrating our sisters' homes and performing the demons' work- demons themselves to do such deeds. Poor Oberon's mind shall be sick with fatal news we must bring. And his wife, Titania. What delicate heart she hath. Pray to the almighty gods that she not befall a fate worse than the gods know what."

Jip looked up at the fairies. "Have no fear, little fey. I'll sniff them out before dark and we'll take them _all_ prisoner if we must." He grinned and put his nose to the ground to start work.

Peaseblossom gasped and put her hand on her heart when she noticed Jip and heard him speak. She breathed a sigh of relief, and shook her head sadly at the dog. "Alas, thou cannot be certain of such things. Thou must not underestimate. Magic is in play- fatal magic. Please, thou wouldst not go into the woods at this hour."

Sir Hugo stared into the woods beyond, and then shook his head wearily at the fairies, his eyes glinting with determination and strength. "We do appreciate your services, kind fairies," he said. "But we must go in. We cannot pass through the rotunda without scouting the woods. Terrible things will occur if we do not be sure of what is to come."

"Must you go?" Peaseblossom begged further. "The villains have full sway of the forest. Our magic can do all but stand against the wicked works of warlocks."

Richard stepped forth. "Look, we don't know what's going to happen, but we know what we're doing. And if anything happens, Chloe can use her power to stop them."

"Yes, and I can sniff them out from a mile away," Jip added, in a sort of bragging way. "We'll know when there is a villain. So you chaps can sit back and leave the finding to me."

"Nonetheless, dost thou fear not of the woods to the sound of the fair nightingale? The moon dost not protect all in the forest."

Sir Hugo shook his head. "We must go, even if there are villains. Our findings are crucial to the Pagemaster himself. Even the slightest detail of villain activity is important to him, and to us- the rest of the literary world that wishes to survive."

"We have wish to survive," Mustardseed piped up. "Why not let us escort you all into the forest?"

"Would you?" Sir Hugo asked. "Why, that's very gracious of you. I suppose we would like the company for a while."

"Proceed on, my lord," Peaseblossom said. "We shall take thee as far as thee wishes." She curtsied in midair, her pink lips forming a gracious, delicate smile.

"Thank you very much," Chloe said, smiling back at the fairies.

"As we told thee, we will hand our lives to thee when thou requires assistance of us." Peaseblossom smiled, then reached for Chloe's hand and kissed it in wholehearted respect. The other fairies followed, kissing Chloe's hand like she was already a queen being greeted by loyal subjects. Richard was confused by such respect, and half hoped they wouldn't keep that up all through their walk. Already his brain hurt from listening to their Shakespearian chatter, and didn't know how much longer he could endure it.

When Peaseblossom and the other fairies took the lead, they started to walk along the cliff, leading them along the jungle, and away from the valley. The sun started to dip below the mountains as they went along, soon enough giving the company a beautiful sunset to watch.

"Kind of makes you wonder how far you'd have to walk just to reach the borders of the rotunda," Chloe said, pointing at the sun. "It must be very far."

"Not as far as you think, my lady," Sir Hugo answered. "The rotunda is the smallest part of the library, and yet the most powerful. You will know when you have stepped into any given section, because things will change as quickly as an image can come to mind. You'll feel it more too, my lady, when you notice that your powers are weaker. The borders between the sections are invisible, but one can feel them like solid rock."

"And how far would you plan on going to reach the end of this scout-around?" Richard wanted to know.

"Never fear, my boy," Sir Hugo answered, with a heavy sigh. "We are merely traveling throughout the rotunda, no more and no less. We've learned thus far that the villains are keeping their battle strategy to the rotunda, where they may be likely to bend the natural forces in which case the battling comes to a head. If we were to travel _every_ square inch of the fiction section, we would spend thousands of years doing so. And even that wouldn't be enough time to span the entirety of man's imagination in fiction. As I said, the imagination is boundless. It's precisely why we must be careful, so that no villain conspires to perform against lady Chloe's power."

"What I'd also like to know is, why the third Proverb hasn't turned up," Richard thought out loud. "I guess it's not like we can just open a book and summon him out."

Sir Hugo chuckled humorlessly. "If there was such a way to do so," he said. "I haven't seen the Book of Page Lore in so long, and little lady Chloe doesn't have a clue what it looks like, so she cannot imagine it to life."

Jip stopped to scratch himself, and then started walking alongside Chloe again. "I'd count ourselves lucky we haven't been eaten alive yet. Maybe winning this battle is more important than that last Proverb," he said with a long yawn. "And when are we going to stop for the night? I'm pooped as grass in my backyard."

Chloe gave Jip a confused, and disgusted, look as Sir Hugo pointed ahead. "When we reach those trees, then we shall make camp for the night." He was pointing off to a large grove of trees at the very end of the forest, thick enough that the group couldn't see in or past them- the perfect place to sleep, protected.

Finally, when the sun vanished below the mountains altogether, the group stepped inside the trees, and they just about collapsed where they were on the warm, green grass.

"Dost thou wish for us to accompany?" Peaseblossom asked sweetly, gently taking hold of Sir Hugo's finger.

Sir Hugo shook his head, but thanked the fairies before they flittered away into the night, soon becoming nothing but tiny glittering balls in the darkness. Chloe waved one last time though the fairies didn't see her. Then she sat on the ground, and closed her eyes, imagining some beds and a hearty meal for her and her friends.

Richard, Jip, and Sir Hugo sat down on their beds to inhale their dinner, meanwhile getting cozy inside the blankets. Jip just about fainted with the pleasure he got from having some good food in his belly.

"Ah, thank you so much," he said, letting out a little belch. Embarrassed, he put a paw to his mouth and chuckled. Chloe massaged his head and Jip panted happily, his tail wagging like a fast-paced metronome.

Sir Hugo pushed away his empty plate and thanked Chloe, lying back on his bed. But he suddenly had a solemn expression on his face.

"We made a tough journey today," he said. "Perhaps we didn't come across many villains, but we do know that they are gathering faster than we predicted. If only Peaseblossom and the fairies were not so weak against the warlocks…" He sighed and gazed up at the night sky, full of stars. "Sweet little things, they are."

"You really like them, don't you?" Chloe said.

"Yes, I do have a soft spot for the fairies," Sir Hugo replied softly. "I only pray that they don't get in trouble tonight."

Chloe could tell by the tone of Sir Hugo's voice that clearly there was more to the fairies than he said. She had noticed the way he sometimes looked at Peaseblossom, with the faraway look in his eyes that she fancied he never had before…

Chloe giggled to herself when she imagined an ordeal like that, and turned to look up at the night sky. She noticed in the far north, the constellation of the Big Dipper, following with her eyes the handle pointing in that direction. Chloe remembered that the rotunda was the core of the imagination, but what about the other sections. Where did they go?

"Sir Hugo, just curious but, in which directions do the sections go?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, judging by the night sky from here," he answered, "the land of Adventure is located in the north. The country of Fantasy is in the south and east directions. And the region of Horror is in the west. But that, lady, is how to tell by the stars. If you are truly lost, there are also special objects throughout the sections that can always point you in the right direction." Sir Hugo sat up and looked Chloe right in the eye, like he was giving her a valuable life-saving lesson.

"Those objects are the lost books scattered around," he answered. "The Pagemaster gave me this advice many times, as he does to all the Pages, and don't you ever forget it. You or the boy."

"Richard. His name is Richard," Chloe said, correcting Sir Hugo firmly.

"Mm-hmm," Sir Hugo said, sounding as though he didn't quite care. "Nonetheless, my lady, you must never, and I mean never _ever_, lose faith in the magic of this world. I doubt that you ever will, but always remember- when in doubt, look to the books. If you should ever need assistance, the books will never leave you. Your imagination may be powerful, milady, but the books can easily hold a candle to you too, even without the Proverb of the Books…"

In his bed, Richard sighed softly. Sir Hugo's advice from the Pagemaster rang so many bells from his last adventure here it nearly gave him a headache. He remembered how the books magically came to life whenever they opened, and the feeling of wonder it gave him to see them living and breathing for real. It surprised him that he was only remembering this just now, for now that he thought about it, there were several aspects that had stuck with him through the years. Richard easily recalled the magic of the books, but what he was only starting to remember was probably the most important part of his last journey. What he could say, was that there had been three books- three magic books that had helped him more than anything ever had, and were lost somewhere in this world. But, really, who- or what- were these books he was trying so hard to remember? Would he find them again somewhere?

He sighed again when his memory failed him, and looked up at the stars. Well Third Proverb, he thought, wherever you are, let's hope you come to the rescue soon. We need you now, and Chloe is waiting for you. And three magic books…well, let's just hope that your shelf lives haven't been discontinued…


	16. At the Edge

_**Chapter 16**_

Richard woke to the strange, disgusting feeling of Jip licking his face. The dog's rancid breath washed over Richard's face, and he sputtered and coughed in response.

"You up there, Master?" Jip asked.

"Yeah, but if your breath didn't wake me up, I don't know what would have," Richard remarked, raising himself up from the ground, frowning disgustedly.

Jip crossed his eyes in confusion. "My breath smells that awfully?" he wondered aloud, breathing on his paw and taking a sniff. He made a straining sound in his throat, opening his eyes wide as dinner plates. "Oh dear Sparky above…" Jip's eyes rolled to the back of his head dramatically, and he fell onto his back.

Chuckling at Jip's reaction, Richard scratched the dog's belly to bring him back. "Quit that, Jip," he said. "We should get moving."

"Quite, and good morning, my boy," Sir Hugo greeted. "I don't suppose you would like to enjoy some breakfast?" He gestured towards a grand feast laid out for a king! Several different platters and courses covered the grass, like at the Pagemaster's table. A sweetly proud-looking Chloe sat nearby, chomping on some cereal and strawberries.

"Chloe?" Richard said, in awe of the feast. "You made all this."

"No, Jip coughed it up. Of course, I did," Chloe answered with a giggle. "Imagining all this to life woke me up, but this breakfast is incredible, if I do say so myself." She emphasized her words by chomping down on another strawberry. "Well, go ahead. Eat your fill, both of you."

When Richard and Jip had both filled up on Chloe's mind-made breakfast, Sir Hugo pushed aside the branches of the trees, and they stepped out into the sun. Richard liked the sun now- it seemed to promise a good day for the group.

Immediately, Jip made himself useful by putting his nose to the ground. Chloe kept herself beside the dog, occasionally petting his fur as a reward. He shook with laughter when Chloe scratched and petted, panting like, well, like a happy dog.

"I know we're only minutes into this day, but I think it's gonna be a good one," Jip remarked cheerily. "The larks are on the wing and the sun shining."

Chloe was not usually one to gossip or tell secrets, but she leaned down to Jip's ear. "The only thing that would make it better would be if Peaseblossom and the fairies were here," she said. "Seems that Sir Hugo fancies her."

Jip gasped dramatically, then chuckled. "Sir Hugo, of all people, fancying a _fairy_? That's something you don't hear about all the time. He's such a hardened warrior, and yet he has his eyes on those fairies. Ha, ha. Well, between you and me, I wouldn't be able to withstand those fairies for much longer than I can stand fleas. Their Shakespearian chatter is enough to make a _cat _bark!"

Chloe giggled with Jip, and scratched his ears, and the dog panted so happily that even Chloe had to smile.

Sir Hugo, who was walking beside Richard, flicked his eyes to the sweetness going on between Jip and Chloe. "I fancy our lady has found a good friend," he stated. "My goodness, that dog could make friends with a hardened criminal and he could become a little boy again with one of Jip's licks." He shook his head and half-smiled.

"Guess that's why he was supposed to help us," Richard said, half to himself.

"It's true," Sir Hugo said. "He is a good soul. See how he is tending to the lady. It's as though they've been friends from birth."

Richard had to admit, the bond that had formed between Jip and Chloe was a deep one. Jip had said so himself that he would do everything to protect Chloe, and judging from how she laughed as she scratched his ears, she seemed to feel the same way about the jolly dog. Somehow, Richard wanted to remind Chloe that he was still behind her and that it was not all up to Jip to keep her safe. After all, a dog could only do so much- sniffing and barking were a few things, but he could not wield a sword against evil…

As if on cue, Richard jumped out of his boots when he heard Jip growling, low and menacingly.

"Jip?" Chloe asked, stopping dead in her tracks.

"There's someone…" He sniffed again. "No, there's…there's more than someone…there's…there's…here, there…everywhere…a whole bunch of people!"

"Where are they?" Sir Hugo asked, preparing to unsheathe his sword.

Jip didn't answer; he only shivered in fear. Finally, he said, "I don't know where they are. They're coming, though. Pretty close now…"

"Get your weapon ready, boy," Sir Hugo warned Richard. "This might be pretty awful."

Now, the only noise all around them was Jip's sniffing, and the scratching of his fearful paws against the ground. It was quiet long enough that Richard gave Jip a doubtful glance, as though his sniffing had finally failed them.

"Jip?" he asked nervously.

Then there came a great crashing and tumbling in the nearby bushes as squads of soldiers rolled out from the bushes. The moment they appeared, some of them started to spray a red sort of light from their hands. Sir Hugo held up his sword and deflected the light as he pulled Richard to the ground for safety.

"Milady, Jip, get down! Fight back, do something!" Sir Hugo shouted as the mysterious attackers fought on.

Without thinking, Chloe raised her hands and using her imagination, she created little lightning bolts that flew from her fingertips, which deflected the red magic the attackers were making. She followed that up with a circle of fire encircling the attackers like a pig pen. Her efforts were in vain, however, and the enemies just made it disappear into thin air.

"Her powers are strong, but they can't match us!" Chloe heard them whisper. This only made her more determined than ever to get rid of these low-life foes.

"Chloe, come here! Let's go!" Richard shouted at her.

"No! They have to get out of here!" Chloe answered him. "They're villains and they have to be stopped where they are!"

Jip jumped up beside Chloe as the attackers finished destroying her fire circle. "I'll assist you," he said. "A good detective dog never runs away from danger!"

"And neither should we!" Chloe shouted to Richard, fixing him with a firm glare.

For a moment, Richard was taken aback. Chloe's determined glare was like seeing fangs on a giraffe- something that was new and frightening. Richard was caught in a tangled trap, whether or not he should follow Sir Hugo, or get up and fight with Chloe. He would hate to be the reason something might happen…

Richard was jolted from his thoughts again when the attackers let loose a giant ball of red magic. He saw Chloe leap out of the way, but suddenly, all he could see was a disintegrating shower of fireworks and a frightened Jip jumping away. His golden fur was fluttering wildly as he jumped. He landed flat on his stomach, with an _oomph!_, and scrambled to his feet.

"Jip!" Richard exclaimed. A jolt in his heartbeat surprised him at the sight of just Jip. "But, where's Chloe?"

Jip barked suddenly, and both Richard and Sir Hugo turned their glances to the villains behind the fireworks. Each of them had sneers on their faces.

"Incompetent boy," one of them sneered. "Surprised you didn't come and fight back like your fair lady friend. Correct me if I'm wrong but, I believe that the one pretty lady we have here is the Proverb…"

"No!" Sir Hugo said to himself, tensing his body in fear.

"…of the Imagination?"

Sir Hugo shut his eyes and turned his gaze away, as though embarrassed. He didn't turn back for a few seconds, and so Richard decided it was all up to him.

"Okay, guys, um, do you think we can come to a peaceful agreement here? You know…something we can trade for Chloe?"

"Chloe?" another of the attackers said, turning to Chloe. He ran his hands up and down her arms, as though trying to make them warm; Chloe tensed up and slit her eyes in disgust. "What a lovely name for a sorceress."

Jip stepped up and sniffed the attackers, growling low. "Ahem, who said anything about this girl being a sorceress?" he asked. "Does she look like a sorceress to you?" Jip cringed and ducked his head into his mane of fur; he instantly regretted asking the question.

The attackers looked back at Chloe, looking her over while she kept very still and tried to suppress her growing urge to blast her captors with magic again.

"A blind man could see the magic in this lady," the first attacker answered Jip. "Look at how she just…_radiates _magic. You can _feel _it!"

At his touch, Chloe finally wrenched her arm away. "If you could please not touch me like that!" she said firmly.

"Or, I promise, you'll regret it!" Richard said, unsheathing his sword.

The attackers were quiet for several seconds, before Richard decided to make his move. He was met with a billowing cloud of red sparkles and lasers that threw him backwards. He heard a whimper as Jip and Sir Hugo reacted to his fall.

"Indeed, that's what you think," the attackers said. "Your silly weapons can't protect your lady from our powers. We know who she is."

Jip jumped up beside Richard, snarling. He barked twice before he spoke. "If you chaps were smart, you would let go of the girl. I'm warning you, she can pack a punch when she needs to."

"You'd best listen to the dog, gentlemen," Sir Hugo said, although his disgusted emphasis on _gentlemen_ was pretty clear.

"Oh? Why?" the captors wondered aloud.

Chloe grinned before she imagined the hands touching her to be scorching hot, and the ground underneath her to buckle violently. A hissing and rumbling sounded when the captors started to shout, and jumped back from the buckling ground. Chloe added to her "punch" by imagining a floating ring of fire and wind to blow her captors back. The power spread far enough that even Richard, Jip, and Sir Hugo were blown back by her spell.

"_That_ is why!" Chloe declared, laughing in triumph.

The captors pretended to be stunned for a moment, before they fired another round on Chloe.

"_That_ is why you should not toy around with us, young pretty lady," they said.

Chloe imagined a continuous line of magical blasts one after the other, and her captors fired at her some more. Clouds of blue and red and yellow and all other colors mixed together blasted here and there, like colorful cannonball smoke. Sir Hugo and Richard threw themselves into the brawl, although Richard had been slightly hesitant to do so. Jip barked and growled, pouncing on the attackers, biting down until he could taste blood. Fur flew and blades swung as the battling raged. Richard was tense inside as he tried to prevent the attackers from kidnapping Chloe. He found it hard though, to keep fighting and also look out for his friend; and even harder to succeed because he kept getting knocked down by the captors' magic.

Richard fought hard like the warrior he should be, but he was tiring, and fighting blade against magic was too difficult a task. Even Sir Hugo and Jip weren't faring so well, though they were talented fighters. He watched as they fell to the spells the captors cast with their magic.

Richard didn't understand. Chloe was powerful, so why wasn't her magic killing the captors off quickly? Maybe she was tiring too, but Richard had never seen that in her. Her determination had always been all that she needed to stay strong. But then again, watching how the attackers fought as one against one powerful Proverb, Richard found that maybe he could doubt Chloe's capacity for determination alone.

He needed to do something, but just using his sword wouldn't do him any good, and his arm was feeling like watery jelly. Richard wrapped his brain around what he could do, but his brain seemed to have turned off in that instant…

…and in that moment, he was met with a heart-stopping horror when he saw Chloe's fiery hair fly over her face and to the ground when one of the attackers slapped her clear across her face. She stumbled to the ground, and they surrounded her, as if they were vultures circling a dead mouse.

"No!" Richard shouted on impulse. And no was right! No! No way was he going to let them take her! Not now!

Suddenly, Richard's mind came back to life, and it filled with an echoing sound of book titles that rattled like thunder through him; no matter what, the titles ran through his mind like an everlasting tape. He was remembering the Pagemaster's advice all too well, and he knew that now was a good time to harness the books' content to save Chloe.

Before he even knew it, Richard was calling out, "_Sleeping Beauty, the forest of thorns_," all at the same time pointing into a copy of the book that had come from out of nowhere.

As quickly as he had called out the words, Richard felt a surge of energy flow through his body, and suddenly, there came a tearing sound from beneath the ground. Out from beneath the trees, a great forest of prickly thorns shot upward, blackening the land around them with the sharp branches and razor-sharp thorns that tore at the land around them. And aside from the tearing sounds the thorns made as they grew, all was silent. Even Jip's barking and the sword slashing had stopped.

But when Richard glanced at the very edge of the thorn forest, there was no sign of the attackers, or Chloe.

She was gone.

Richard's heart nearly stopped when he realized how late he had been in saving Chloe. He had been so caught up in what was happening inside his mysterious mind that he just couldn't save her in time.

In anger, Richard kicked the ground and let out a yell! He just could not believe it! The Proverb of the Imagination was supposed to be protected, and all he had done- instead of being a good guardian to Chloe- was let her get kidnapped. Who knew what the villains would do with her!

"Chloe!" Richard shouted in anger and disbelief.

"Calm down, boy, hush up!" Sir Hugo urged, pulling Richard back.

And suddenly, without any explainable reason, Richard was quiet, as he had just realized what he saw before him. The forest of thorns, which had come from out of a book, was plain as the nose on his face. But…how did they get there? All that had happened was that he called for a certain book and the object he was looking for had just…come…

Richard's realization was astounding, but he refused to believe it.

"Sir Hugo," he began, "did you…?" He gestured at the forest of thorns.

Sir Hugo only shook his head, a shocked but amazed expression on his face.

Richard turned to Jip, but he only shook his head, his eyes wide open with the same shock as Sir Hugo.

Now, it finally dawned on Richard. And he suddenly felt so much bigger…and yet so smaller…

The Third Proverb was found.

And that Proverb was here…in his place.

_TO BE CONTINUED…_


End file.
